Publishing's latest enfant terrible, David Carson, is revolutionizing graphic design. With his most recent project, a rock 'n' roll periodical called Ray Gun, the art director has created a visually compelling magazine that demands scrutiny. On the down side, however, its stories tend to be so densely layered with images that they often become difficult to read. Eschewing even the most rudimentary formatting, Carson designs spreads that are constantly evolving and brimming with noisome invention--photos bleed off pages in mid-image, typefaces abruptly change, words disappear into illustrations.

Although his style flies in the face of magazine convention--in his world, grids and the regimented columns that come with them have gone the way of manual paste-ups--it cannily mirrors Ray Gun's high-energy subject matter. The approach obviously Since Ray Gun's debut in 1992, its circulation has risen from 50,000 to 120,000. And Carson's highly emotional design sensibility is influencing mainstream magazines such as Details, as well as a raft of alternative publications, including Blur and KGB.