Chapter Zero

Every movement has a manifesto. This one belongs to Thankyou.

Australian-based Thankyou is a design-led social enterprise with a purpose is to reimagine consumerism and redirect trillions of dollars of profit consumer spending toward eradicating poverty.

This oversized book is the foundation of Thankyou. Chapter Zero is a book that can never be bought; it can only be given. It’s written for everyone on the inside. A unique copy is given to each team member and partners working with Thankyou. To others who join the launch team, we created a digital copy of Chapter Zero.

While the natural step after Chapter One was to launch Chapter Two and beyond, Thankyou realised that to go forward they had to first go backwards, in order to make sure the foundation was strong enough for what would be built in years to come. An arrow must go backwards before it’s propelled forward. A building is first built down, then it can go up. Chapter Zero documents the secrets they discovered from their past, and the ideas that will ultimately deliver the future. Like a compass is to the pioneer, Chapter Zero is to those who are co-creating, co-imagining, co-pushing the limits of this idea with infinite potential of Thankyou.

Serving as a compass for the brand, this book aims to inspire alignment among team players, suppliers, and collaborators. Its purpose is to reimagine consumerism and redirect trillions of dollars of profit consumer spending toward eradicating poverty.

Chapter Zero was designed to be timeless and understated, bringing ideas to the forefront. We designed it so that if someone was to pull it from the bookshelf in 10 years’ time it would still be as relevant as the day it was created. The uniform use of one typeface (Neue Haas Grotesk), the black and white photography, the size and weight and the hidden print finishes - all make you take notice. There are 200 handcrafted books, each taking 2 hours and 45 minutes to physically construct. This book demands attention.

Within this book of ideas is a journey to uncover and discover. You’ll have to look at some pages from a different perspective; on others, you may need to carry the whole book into the light. For some pages, you’ll literally need to pick up a pencil and set time aside to create and explore.