Every two years, the World Design Organization awards the title of World Design Capital to a city or region. In 2026, the Frankfurt Rhine-Main region will become an international stage for design. Together, we will bring to life groundbreaking projects and numerous events that showcase what design can achieve for society and democracy, for our shared lives, and for our daily routines.

In this booklet, published by the City of Offenbach in collaboration with the University of Art and Design Offenbach, all WDC events, sites, workshops and exhibitions are listed with short descriptions and dates. In addition, a detailed map shows all the locations. The booklet is designed by Masha Egorova and only uses typefaces that originated in the HfG type design class. The front and back cover are perforated stencils that can be torn off and used to scribble inside the booklet.

The dynamic logo is custom drawn.

ESIETE created a brand for Hotel Wine Fest that merges elements of the wine world with typography, creating an icon that is easy to recognize and remember. The dynamic logo adapts to both online and offline formats and applications.

The first campaign reinterprets a distinctive element of the hotel, the hanger, transforming it into a piece with double meanings that invites, with elegance and a casual touch, to enjoy the event.

For the Hotel Wine Fest’s 3rd edition, we developed the campaign’s visual framework for a city-wide festival staged across Barcelona’s landmark hotels. The system builds on the award-winning format of earlier editions (ADG Laus Silver 2025, Logo) and updates it with a new “blend”: lighter, more playful messaging and a flexible layout logic designed to travel across formats—from posters and digital banners to on-site applications. Taking a more illustrative approach compared to previous years, which were driven by typography.

The 2023–24 edition of the RUFA Annual Report, conceived as a collective performance, goes beyond documenting the year’s activities to become a shared design act focused on intention, process, and collaboration.

Inspired by Vilém Flusser’s idea that “everything depends on intention (design)”, the report was created through a 48-hour creative marathon involving 50 selected students alongside designers, visual artists, photographers, copywriters, and faculty members. Working together in an open laboratory, the teams produced content, images, data, and narratives that shaped the final publication.

The volume unfolds through ten keywords defining the Academy’s identity, a photographic selection of undergraduate and postgraduate theses, and an overview of the year’s activities, including events, workshops, talks, and international projects. Data Humanism–inspired infographics, based on interviews and questionnaires with students and faculty, complete the narrative.

A die-cut dust jacket revealing the names of the participants and a concluding photographic report underscore the collective nature of the project. The annual report thus stands as both a document and a method, reflecting the Academy’s growth through shared experience, research, and collaboration.

Four-colour printing plus white and fluorescent yellow Pantone on Favini paper.
Typographic composition in Milligram by Zetafonts.

Design by Guido Lombardo, Davide Luccini and Francesco Paolo Incantalupo at Intorno Design, with illustrations by Francesco Fidani. For a full list of credits, see the RUFA website.

Doorkijkvers (“see-through verse”) is a self-initiated participatory poetry project by designer Laura Broux created for Poëzieweek 2026. The project was developed and realized in collaboration with Creatief Schrijven vzw and printer Zwartopwit.

The project takes the form of an A6 card with a circular cut-out that functions as a lens. By framing a small detail in their surroundings, participants are invited to slow down, observe differently and write a short poem inspired by what they see.

Responding to the Poëzieweek 2026 theme ‘Metamorphosis’, printed on the front of the card, the intervention explores how a simple shift in perspective can transform everyday scenes into language. Distributed across Flanders (Belgium) and activated in schools, libraries and literary spaces, #doorkijkvers connects visual perception, writing and public space.

Thousands of people, including numerous schools and language institutes, took part in the project, contributing to a wide and diverse engagement with poetry across Flanders.

Vitamiin in use for Hüvasti, noorus! / Bye-bye, Youth! – an exhibition and a publication by the Estonian Health Museum, curated by Ülle Kask and Anna Rinaldo. Graphic design by Viktor Gurov with Martin Merirand, exhibition architecture by Valge Kuup Studio.

From the museum’s website:

No one remains indifferent to aging. Each person has a deeply personal and unique relationship with it. For some, it signals a gradual retreat from active life, while for others, it brings newfound freedom and the joy of new challenges.

Candid reflections by Laura Kalle, Marju Karin, Haide Männamäe, Toomas Tross, Valner Valme, Tõnu Õnnepalu, Helgi Põllo, and Margus Mikomägi offer a chance to connect with different aspects of aging and to seek balance and meaning at every stage of life.

King & Partners developed the brand identity for Four Seasons Naples, built around the concept Impressions of Paradise, expressed through bespoke botanical illustrations and tactile design details. The Merchant Room is a refined New American Brasserie by two-time James Beard Award–winning chef Gavin Kaysen, inspired by the elegance of Old Florida. The Merchant Room branding is set in Romie Regular and Italic, designed by Margot Lévêque.

Reading is hard, but writing is harder.

De Situatie is a literary platform and publication founded by PIP Den Haag, aimed at promoting the art of storytelling among young audiences by providing space for emerging writers and type designers alike.

For this second publication they selected ten texts selected from De Situatie’s annual writing competition. For each text, All Sizes selected a unique typeface in close collaboration with type designer Céline Hurka. None of these typefaces had been published before, allowing writing talent and design talent to meet on equal footing.

The texts are interspersed with half pages that are tilted in the reading direction, inspired by the dwarsligger concept—originally designed to make books readable with one hand. Within the context of De Situatie, this device also functions symbolically, reflecting the platform’s slightly off-axis position within the literary landscape. All editorial texts are placed on these half pages, reinforcing the relationship between form and content.

More information on the All Sizes website.

Klaar by Luka Appelberg

Klaar by Luka Appelberg

Spencer Platt, Spencer Ellen and Spencer Persis by Kaat Vandenbroeck

Spencer Platt and Spencer Ellen by Kaat Vandenbroeck

Gauche by Céline Hurka and Jan Egbers

Arête by Huw Williams

Arête by Huw Williams

Heline by Morgane Vantorre

Dargon and Dargon Text by Anne-Dauphine Borione

Kabreet by Andrea Hayek

LNT Natalia Mono by Nóra Békés

Segmentor by Mălin Neamțu

Heline by Morgane Vantorre

Heline by Morgane Vantorre

Prepis Skoropis by Luboslav Boyanov

Prepis by Luboslav Boyanov

Pasara and Pasara Display by Tina Božan

The design of this third volume for Galpão da Lapa was developed in close connection with the exhibition design for Apaixonados (“Passionate”). The show brought together works by contemporary Brazilian artists in a display that emphasized interaction, both among the artworks and with the space, sometimes by affinity and sometimes by contrast. This dynamic was spatially translated into a layout of curved concrete-block walls, shaping the exhibition space into zones of pause and interaction, where voids, textures, and shadows also played an active role in the narrative.

The book seeks to reflect this same spatial and poetic logic in its graphic and material structure. The dust jacket, featuring a die-cut pattern derived from the architectural design, acts much like the perforated walls of the exhibition: at times revealing, at others concealing images and information, creating layers of reading and points of contact between content and materiality. The choice of papers was fundamental to support this concept.

We selected a black 290 g/m² paper for the dust jacket for its solid color and natural texture, which allows for precise die-cutting without exposing white corners, while preserving structural integrity – reinforcing the idea of shadow and material presence, also central to the exhibition design – while alluding to the negative spaces formed by the curved walls. For the cover, a warm gray 120 g/m² paper was chosen for its texture and subtle tone, echoing the color of the exhibition walls and allowing for black offset printing of the title and artist names, partially hidden beneath the dust jacket, which carries only a white silkscreen print on the spine.

Inside, the book alternates between a coated paper – ensuring high-quality image reproduction – and an uncoated off-white paper for the first and last sections. These opening and closing pages feature more abstract, black-and-white details of the artworks, marking the beginning and end of the book with purely graphic interludes.

These choices align with the architectural concept of Galpão da Lapa, a former 19th-century industrial warehouse in São Paulo’s Lapa neighborhood, repurposed to host temporary exhibitions of Brazilian contemporary art. The publication is part of a bilingual series (Portuguese and English) documenting the exhibitions held in the space. Each volume was designed to establish a specific graphic relationship with the curatorial and spatial proposal of its show. In this edition, the book assumes a more tactile, sensorial character, functioning not only as a visual documentation, but as a physical object that carries, within its materiality and graphic structure, the concept of the exhibition and the identity of the space itself.

The book was one of the winners of the AIGA 50 Books | 50 Covers of 2024.

Photos: Nino Andrés and Allec Gomes

NHL power forward Evander Kane launched his wine brand, Dovetail, with a design reflecting his love of wine and craftsmanship rather than his on-ice feats. Inspired by the Japanese-style dovetail joint, the label evokes precision and harmony. A full-wrap design with die-cut accents showcases innovation in the label while subtly referencing the wine’s name. Across the website, social posts, and launch events, the visual identity remained integrated and balanced.

Design by Studio Pumpo, with creative direction by Monique Gamache.

From designer Sarah Salomé Delétain (translated from the French):

Layout and graphic design of the 31st issue of Graphisme en France – Futur Souhaitable, dedicated to the environmental responsibility of graphic design. With contributions from Roxane Jubert, Florence Cortat Roller, Nolwenn Maudet and Marc van Wageningen, who share their reflections, projects, and research to enrich practices and collectively address these issues.

Published since 1994 by the Centre National des Arts Plastiques, Graphisme en France is a journal aimed at graphic designers, commissioners, and students. Printed in 10,000 copies by Art et Caractère in Lavaur (Tarn), it is distributed free of charge throughout the French cultural network and available on request at graphisme@cnap.fr.

The text typeface is Ploquine (Emma Marichal, TypeTogether), supported by Seabirds (Rosalie Wagner, 205TF) and Caramel (Hugo Lopez, X Cicéro), all released in 2024. The negative initials on the cover and the bookmark are from Floréal. This all-caps typeface was originally created by visual artist and graphic designer Jocelyn Cottencin in 2004 for a wall drawing that is now part of the Frac Bretagne collection.

This is a project I developed as part of my DNMADE in Graphic Design at École Estienne, April 2024.

After writing my dissertation, I decided to conduct interviews with professionals working for and within various cultural institutions in order to enrich my thinking within the framework of my degree project. I wanted to interview key players involved in different stages of exhibition creation: a museographer, a graphic designer and a scenographer. Their different points of view, influenced by their roles, missions and objectives, provide complementary perspectives. Comparing and contrasting these often related points of view was therefore essential to understanding the subject.

Each interview is presented in a coloured section, making it easier to read. The layout of the pages and the binding allow for non-linear exploration, where the reader can choose to follow the testimony of a single contributor or navigate freely between the different interviews, much like one might wander through an exhibition. A list of pictograms is also included to highlight certain vocabulary words and summarise certain ideas, thus offering a more visual dimension to the reading experience. These were used to design around twenty diagrams, which appear between the responses to make the reading experience more accessible."

This project was developed as part of my DSAA in Graphic Design at ENSAAMA in April 2025. It questions the place and connections between the many unread books in our daily lives. Following a survey of people from a variety of backgrounds, this wheel highlights these forgotten works. The identity of each book is meticulously broken down: title, author, weight, dimensions, publisher. But beyond the material characteristics, it is the relationship between the book and its owner that is explored: what were their expectations? How long have they owned this book? Why have they never read it? All this data intersects and blends to give rise to new imaginary books, new narratives. This codex thus offers a poetic and contemplative vision of these silent books, bearers of stories we do not yet know.

Since 2019, the Domaine de Roueïre has hosted exhibitions as part of the Sud-Hérault cultural season. In June 2025, following major renovations, it became Roueïre, Centre d’Arts & du Patrimoine – a space where historical heritage and contemporary art meet.

The name Roueïre, derived from rouvre (“oak”), reflects the Hérault roots. The unique spelling and rolled R emphasize its strong local identity. Roueïre is a vibrant hub for reflection, exchange, and creativity. By linking past and present, it promotes regional heritage while showcasing the cultural richness of Sud-Hérault.

Created by French graphic design Studio Asensò, Roueïre’s graphic identity aims to embody the place, both in its history and its future. It is based on a strong logo, inspired by the diaeresis in the word “Roueïre”, which has become a narrative and symbolic sign, evoking barrels, a watchful eye, and a link to be woven. This living, plural identity links heritage and contemporary creation.

The stencil version of Halvar echoes the history of winegrowing and human traces. Its openings symbolise the bridges between generations, nature and culture.

The signage trail begins near Roueïre, at the main road and parking lot, continues along the dirt track, guiding visitors up the stairs to the main entrance leading to the sign, and ends inside the Centre d’Arts, where typography and pictograms take shape.

The guidance system is also based on Halvar Stencil and the use of stencils, a tool that can be adapted to both traditional techniques (such as painting) and more recent processes (adhesives, printing). The regular Halvar is used as supporting text typeface.

Text via Studio Ansensò, see their series of Instagram posts.

Studio Asensò created a Normograph-like lettering guide for Halvar Stencil as well as stencils so that they could reuse it as tools.

From Mag Culture’s website:

Born of the Ghanaian capital Accra, W’ahu exists for both those living and loving in Ghana, as well as international readers to which it offers a snapshot of the ‘unwavering creativity’ coming out of the nation’s ‘glamorous and resilient group.’ Of course, this phrasing was not chosen lightly; it’s a true and necessary placeholder ‘for the sake of keeping everyone out of trouble’. As W’ahu’s editors explain:

‘Even within Ghanaian society today, there are many groups who express themselves authentically that are not truly seen for who they are, and are discriminated against as a result. ... What we’re interested in is how the community views themselves through their own eyes when given a platform to do so. What do they want to say—and how do they want to be seen? […]

Physically then, the magazine is slim with a bold blue cover hidden by a second, thin cardboard cover with an eye-shaped cut-out revealing only the title logo, a nod to the the rough translation of the Akan-language phrase w’ahu: ‘Have you seen?’ The rich blue of the cover runs like a vein throughout the magazine’s matt pages, with glossy paper reserved for its vibrant visuals composed of photography, collage, illustration, and photo essays.

Inside this first issue, you’ll find a fashion shoot between friends in the cliff-top village of Akuma; surreal and disembodied collage as a means of ‘pushing back against traditional representations of black femininity’ by Efia Serwah; an exploration of pre-colonial language and its relationship to identity; conversations with queer Ghanaian elders; and submissions from the local community on love, sex, and identity. […]

In short, W’ahu is a particularly important addition to our growing collection of queer magazines and one that will leave you with just a taste of what Ghana’s queer community has to offer.

The main fonts used for the magazine are Anybody and PoW Savon. The W’ahu logo is custom lettering.

“No Man’s Land” appears to be lettering in a style similar to Antique Tuscan Condensed Shade, but with spurs.

“Drama Queens” uses Oi!

Mockup for the die-cut effect on The Black Reparations Project book jacket

Working on a project like The Black Reparations Project is always a difficult task of marrying concept with content. The editors were keen to use Theodor Kaufmann’s 1867 painting On To Liberty, which depicts a group of recently enslaved black Americans navigating an uncertain path to freedom. The publisher wanted something typographic. I opted for a combination of the two in the extreme, with a minimal jacket design that features only an ellipse (indicating the notion of “we’re still waiting [for reparations]”), but instead of the first period is a die cut that reveals one boy's face as he looks backwards rather than forwards—again, an illusion to what the book’s content is doing as well. The printed case underneath features On to Liberty in its entirety.

The jacket won an Association of University Presses Book, Jacket, and Journal Show award in 2024.

Printed case for The Black Reparations Project

Cover design for The Black Reparations Project

Jacket mechanical for The Black Reparations Project

Future Viewfinder is a self-awareness tool for creative direction – designed to inspire you to “put your passions in places where you want to be.” This phrase, first written in my journal, has been my guiding mantra since early 2022. It reminds me – and now invites you – to seek out spaces that celebrate and elevate your unique passions.

The main card of the interactive print piece acts as a viewfinder – its die-cut, pixellated envelope design (linked to my monogram logo) invites you to press, push, and peek into your future.

I carefully selected typefaces that bring personality to the piece while dynamically filling the negative space of the die-cut. From a heavily condensed Grandmaster to the wide proportions of Afronaut. Their placement reinforces the project’s sense of movement and direction – shifting and changing as you engage with it.

Uplifting oranges, dreamy pinks and purples, and a hint of transformational teal – sourced from GF Smith Colorplan Papers – infuse the work with vibrant, forward-thinking energy.

Inspired by the space and featuring poignant leading questions and successful alumni, this limited edition book aimed to capture the crossover of entrepreneurial spirit and technological wonder on display at The Garage.

The prospectus featured four unique laser-cut outer layers, digitally printed in white and applied to the bound book body. These were produced onsite at The Garage and affixed during the print run at Graphic Arts Studio. Short sheets featuring photography of successful alumni were inserted throughout adding depth and dimension to the format and information.

Cover of #46 with blue paper saddle

Kluger Hans is a unique literature magazine with a rebellious edge that gives beginning talented writers a change to get published. Each issue has a specific theme that drives the selected content and its graphic translation. Issue #46 focuses on “HET DIER” or “The animal”.

“Kluger Hans is named after a horse that was said to be able to do math, so we should do something with a horse, right?” Of course. “What about saddling the magazine?” Of course. Using die cutting and one printing colour, we designed a paper saddle to fold around the magazine, just like a dust jacket. At first glance, you see some kind of rounded dust jacket, but once you open the magazine, the stirrups become visible and you start to understand the shape. Readers can choose to leave the ‘saddle’ around their copy of Kluger Hans, or unsaddle it so it can graze freely in their bookcases.

For the interior, it’s the animals from an art installation by Felipe Muhr that made the magazine come together. They appear here and there between the horizontal lines of the Granblue font, providing some necessary pops of colour and surprise. The complete arrangement of the installation is on the verso of the cover, showing the true scale of the cardboard figures. Muhr's work is combined with tapestries by artist Elen Braga, which are also appearing throughout the magazine.

Title page with logo illustration by Cara Haverbeke. Kluger Hans was the name of a famous horse around 1900 that was known for its counting skills. Here you can see the stirrup that is folded around the paperback.

The back cover. The names of all the authors in the magazine are stitched together in Granblue.

Title in Nonplus on the spine. The names of the authors run over the spine from back to front or front to back.

The paper saddle that covers the magazine. The two stirrups are folded around the paperback cover. On the front and back of the saddle the magazines logo (banana shaped form) was cut out. Granblue was chosen for this magazine because it resembles the stitching around a leather saddle when used in a long string.

The table of contents provided a perfect opportunity to weave all of the artists names together with the Granblue.

Inside the text is set in the GT Alpina. Titles are set in Granblue with a variety of cardboard animals by Felipe Muhr popping out of the font’s horizontal lines.

Art pieces of Elen Braga compliments Felipe Muhr’s work. Here you can see an interview with the artist.

Written by Ian Gibson, La vie effrénée de Salvador Dalí is not just a biography—it’s a nearly 700-page bible on the man behind the mustache. The baroque red and gold cover reveals an intimate Dalí through ovoid cutouts. Inside, the layout, inspired by illuminated bibles, blends text, images, and surreal details, such as a procession of ants crawling across the pages or egg-shaped bullet points.

On the typography side, the combination of the organic Cooper* Regular and the expressive Agipo Bold Condensed reflects the evolution of the Catalan painter. Le King serves for drop caps. Finally, the book concludes with a book plate designed like a museum exhibition, it offers a fresh and enlightening perspective on his journey.

La vie effrénée de Salvador Dalí is available from Le Cherche midi éditeur.

Dates Doors Then & More is an art project led by John Fekner and Brad Downey in the autumn of 2022, following an invitation by Lunds konsthall. In this project the artists reactivated some of the artworks created by John Fekner in the 1970s and the 1980s. Most of these artworks are unauthorised street stencil paintings made in the streets of Lund. The book is a rendition of this project, featuring interviews, essays, and a large iconography.

To remain conceptualy close to the project, Matthias Hübner designed the cover as a stencil, using the Constructed version of the typeface Chantier (with its own version of the ampersand). The texts, titles and credits are typeset in Chantier Regular and Italic, supplemented by the monospaced version of Timezone.