Galeria Magiel is an independent, street art–oriented space that organizes exhibitions, community gatherings, workshops and parties. It is one of those rare places where you can genuinely feel an alternative way of thinking and organising cultural activity.

The book Galeria Magiel 21–25 serves as a summary of five years of consistently stimulating local culture and subculture. From this substantial catalog:

After five years of activity on Wapienna Street, the time has come for a brief summary. What was meant to be a simple zine has ultimately become a full-fledged book. This publication brings together everything that has happened here over the past years – from the days of the old Magiel, through the renovation, to the move to a new location.

Inside the Swiss-bound softcover, you’ll find over 450 photos and graphics across 288 pages in a 19.9×27.3 cm format. The book includes an extensive photo report from 70 exhibitions, sketch sessions, and workshops.

Magiel is also described in texts by artists who exhibited in this basement space, as well as by Iwona Kałuża, Maciej Przestalski, Marian Misiak, Łukasz “Cekas” Berger, Radek Łukaszewicz, and Malwina Nowak.

Concept by Maciej Janus. Editing and proofreading by Barbara Kręgiel. Design by Paweł Mildner.

The publication is part of a project co-funded by the European Union under the NextGenerationEU fund as part of the National Recovery Plan.

Ordinary People designed the exhibition graphics and book for the 2023 Title Match: Dongi Lee vs. Sangwoo Kang at the Buk-Seoul Museum of Art, part of the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA). Title Match is a signature annual exhibition at the museum, and for 2023, it brought together artists Dongi Lee and Sangwoo Kang. These artists deconstruct the familiar by either ‘borrowing what has already been borrowed’ from mass media imagery or by revealing the ‘insignificant and fragile figure seen from behind’.


From the works of Dongi Lee and Sangwoo Kang, Ordinary People distilled shared themes of ‘temporality’, which disrupts linearity, and ‘ambiguity’, which purposefully obscures the familiar. Inspired by these concepts, they reinterpreted established norms, incorporating ambiguity as a core graphic element throughout the exhibition. The accompanying book also embraces this theme, reimagining conventional book structures, reading sequences, and orientations.

The design combines contemporary Latin and Korean typefaces to support the exhibition’s layered narrative. Farmacia by Nguyen Gobber is used for English titles across both the exhibition graphics and the book, adding a distinctive visual character to the design. Aktiv Grotesk KR by Dalton Maag serves as a secondary heading typeface for English and Korean in the exhibition graphics, providing clarity and consistency across languages. In the book, Korean headings are set in AG Madang Display by the AG Typography Institute, while GT America by Grilli Type is used for Korean and English body text.

Darlene is a new effects pedal created by Heather Brown Electronicals. Brown describes its voicing as “intentionally neutral. No color, no smear. Just preserved dynamics with rich sustain, natural attack, and silent operation.”

Designed by Graham McClanahan, this pedal goes all-in on typography. Nearly the entire face (!) of the pedal is occupied by the pedal’s name, typeset in Fit. The letters are arranged in a 4×2 grid, with “DARLENE” set in Fit’s Normal width and “COMPRESSION” squeezed into the upper right cell, stretching the typeface to its narrowest, least-readable limit!

The pedal’s dials have labels set on a circle in Avenir Next Condensed. Supplemental information on the side is Heather’s handwriting, digitized!

McClanahan said about the choosing the typeface:

I was actually scrolling Adobe fonts a while back and FIT stood out immediately, so I saved it and played around with it but didn’t really have an application. When I worked with Heather a few months later, we tried a lot of different artwork iterations and nothing really seemed right and then I stumbled upon FIT again. It was my first time using a variable typeface in print so it was a lot trial and error and fun. True to its name it just fits anywhere and has so many possibilities (I probably did over 50 different versions initially because it was so fun). Also this being a compression pedal FIT seemed natural here. Absolutely brilliantly crafted. Something that also worked so well is Heather was hoping to have someway to emphasize DAR on Darlene because of a family member’s nickname that inspired the theme/name of the pedal. This wasn’t really working with the other iterations we went through and we were ready to ditch it but with how flexible the layout possibilities are on FIT it was a huge win to incorporate that in the final. Most importantly David’s typeface carries the design so credit to his brilliance here and I’m excited to see more of what’s to come from him.

As the font’s designer, I couldn’t be more thrilled with this application of Fit… this is the kind of thing it was born to do!

Packaging

Packaging interior

From Archive Books:

In Pedagogies of Travesti Liberation, Maria Clara Araújo dos Passos examines the interplay of education, identity, and liberation in Brazil’s travesti community. She critiques traditional pedagogical frameworks that marginalize gender nonconforming narratives and highlights the effects of systemic discrimination on travestis’ psychosocial well-being. Pedagogies of Travesti Liberation advocates for inclusive educational practices and emphasizes the need for affirmative curricula. Newly translated from Portuguese, this work contributes towards connecting political struggles globally and navigating the complexities of translation— particularly of the term ‘travesti’—across various geographical and political contexts, featuring a conversation between Araújo dos Passos and translator Natália Affonso.

The book was edited by Daniel Neugebauer and published by Haus der Kulturen der Welt. Gallery Print provided printing and binding. Anna Diagne and Chiara Figone did the design and layout for Archive Books, using Sature for headlines and cover, Aktiv Grotesk for subheadings, and Sabon for the body text.

Sudanese–Canadian poet and musician Mustafa the Poet has released his first literary work, Nour (نور). The title, Arabic for “light,” captures the essence of the book: a collection that moves between poetry, photography, Arabic calligraphy, and collaborative writing, exploring faith and memory in the face of grief. It was published in collaboration with WePresent and designed by Turbo Studio.

When Rafiq Hardi Kermanj, founder of the Communist Party of Kurdistan, is forced to flee Tehran for London with his family, they suffer the shame of penury and migration layered on Kurdish statelessness. Agri Ismail's electrifying debut novel follows the lives of Rafiq’s three children and their increasingly desperate relationship to money.

The Swedish edition of Agri Ismaïl’s novel was published by Albert Bonniers Förlag in 2024.

Description of the event by the Technical University Dortmund:

The fifth f² Fotofestival took place in Dortmund from June 12 to 15, 2025 on the theme of #CHAOS.

In numerous exhibitions and the supporting program, photographers and artists, students and photography-enthusiastic citizens dedicated themselves to different perspectives on chaos, its forms, causes and expressions.

The exhibition Werte Wandel Wirken (which roughly translates to “Values Changes Actions”) commemorates 275 years of the Elisabethinen order in Linz. Located directly within the hospital, the exhibition unfolds at the very heart of its own history. In the Palm Hall – a space bridging convent and medical facility – the display spans seven tactile tables. These installations trace the order’s values, milestones, and key figures, inviting visitors into a dialogue that intertwines past and present, spirituality and care. Typography is not merely a design element here. It becomes a structuring principle of the exhibition’s visual identity, echoing themes of continuity, transformation, and human connection.

Aktiv Grotesk by Dalton Maag is used as the primary typeface for body text. With its clean lines and neutral appearance, this sans-serif grotesque ensures clarity and accessibility. Its versatility across sizes and media supports the exhibition’s educational focus and positions historical content in a contemporary, approachable framework.

Steinbeck is employed as a headline typeface and is also used in extended passages of text.
It complements Aktiv Grotesk by reinforcing the structured tone of the exhibition’s layout, while also establishing a clear visual hierarchy that guides the reader through varying layers of content.

Panama – like Steinbeck by The Temporary State – is applied selectively for typographic contrast. Used in quotes and emphasized passages, it offers a distinct formal counterpoint to the other two typefaces. This typographic variation introduces tension and depth, enriching the reading experience and supporting orientation across content types.

Together, the three typefaces create a deliberate balance between clarity, structure, and emphasis – mirroring the Elisabethinen’s lasting dedication to community, compassion, and thoughtful communication.

Zentron was created to challenge the visual conventions of pharmaceutical packaging, offering a bold, minimalist identity that enhances clarity and engagement.

MèDISIN’s product range —including sachets, vials, and sprays—is designed for self-medication and healthcare, requiring immediate recognition and ease of use. A vibrant cyan background, covering an average of 95% of the surface, ensures instant impact, while the bold, sans-serif logo in deep navy blue strengthens brand recognition through high contrast and strategic placement. Stylized illustrations subtly blend into the background while remaining visible enough to indicate the product’s therapeutic area, improving accessibility and guiding consumers effortlessly. The final design was achieved through a balance between aesthetics, functionality, and strict pharmaceutical regulations. Constraints such as mandatory positioning, sizing, spacing, and legal elements were carefully integrated without compromising visual appeal.

Predictive neuromarketing analysis was used to optimize visual impact and engagement, ensuring an intuitive connection with the target audience. Zentron’s universal language transcends cultural and market boundaries, making it instantly recognizable and emotionally engaging. Its clean, structured, and efficient design reflects the growing demand for transparency and simplicity in healthcare, delivering an impactful and effective visual experience.

The catalog was designed by Anna Wank for the exhibitions Holy Place – No Kiss, No Touch and MANA at VerpackereiGö.

It consists of two books with open thread binding, encased in a hardcover jacket and secured with an elastic band. The reversible hardcover jacket features both titles in transparent relief varnish. While the books differ in layout and typeface, they are unified by their cover design.

The interplay between text and images has an important role in the design. In Holy Place, the continuous typography grid using Joly by Blaze Type is partially obscured by images.

In MANA, the focus is on the combination of Aktiv Grotesk by Dalton Maag and Wired Serif by Nadine Wetzel, seen as a link between the physical and digital exhibition spaces.

See also a previously published contribution about the Holy Place exhibition and website.

Larrie’s is a fish & chip takeaway positioned across the road from Merewether Beach in Newcastle, Australia. It aimed to embody the perfect mix of milk bar nostalgia and coastal colloquial to create a venue that will become a true community hub.

Although the identity draws on nostalgic and local elements, it does not rely on them. From the checkered floors, or the mismatched type of your local milk bar to the colour palette from heritage-listed Merewether Baths, we reinterpreted these key characteristics to create an identity that is fresh and appealing.

From Asian Law Caucus:

Since 1972, we’ve been fighting with Asian American and Pacific Islander communities for civil rights and systemic change that builds a more just and caring world. We are committed to the pursuit of justice across society, with a specific focus on serving low-income, immigrant, and underserved Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

The website was designed and developed by Raygun, combining Akkordeon Eight with Aktiv Grotesk and Le Monde Journal.

“Nothing is written in stone” is a project by Munich-based studio Kreatives:

Since we, the Kreatives, are known for our creativity, and mastering numerous creative crafts, we receive endless questions throughout the year:

“How do you do it?”,
“Where do good ideas come from?”
and the most important:
“Can I learn to be (more) creative?"”

we're gifting you some answers.

Over the last months, our entire team went on a quest for you to understand the secret sauce, the magic tricks, and the sacred rituals that give us the most creative ideas. We're lifting the curtains to our process for the first time in our history. And we didn't stop there – we have collected our 100 best-of activities to practice your creative skills and flex your imagination muscles.

The website utilizes PS Times by Parker Studio, together with Aktiv Grotesk by Dalton Maag and Simon Mono by Dinamo.

From Wikipedia:

Alan Wake 2 is a 2023 survival horror video game developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by Epic Games Publishing. The sequel to Alan Wake (2010), the story follows best-selling novelist Alan Wake, who has been trapped in an alternate dimension for 13 years, as he attempts to escape by writing a horror story involving an FBI Special Agent named Saga Anderson.

The first thing that stuck out to me is the brand color of Alan Wake 2. It’s a strange washed-out green that is used on all branding, including in-game. It could be a reference to the many dense forests you find yourself in when playing the game, but with how washed out it is, there might be something deeper. It certainly gives their branding a strange atmosphere.

Alan Wake might’ve been gone for 13 years, but he will mostly feel at home when he sees the typography which seems to reuse the first game’s stylings as a basis. The Alan Wake 2 logo is set in Compacta, a condensed bold typeface. Most of the game’s user interface is set in Aktiv Grotesk Condensed Regular, with Bold being used more sparingly. Compacta is reused for the title card in beginning of every chapter.

Other promotional material and the official website uses both Aktiv Grotesk and Aktiv Grotesk Extended.

Game logo

Main menu

Settings menu

In-game HUD and inventory

Title card in Saga’s story. Aktiv Grotesk Condensed can be seen with larger spacing between letters

Title card in Wake’s story, this time set in a pinkish red

Reading a manuscript page in the Mind Place

Main page of Alan Wake 2’s website

The news section of the website, where updates or community events are announced

Superplantes is the French translation (by Isabelle Enderlein) of Elke Schwarzer’s gardening book Superpflanzen. It was published by Édition Rouergue and designed by Hélène Burel. She chose Gaya as the main typeface, used from headlines to body text. Aktiv Grotesk is used for subheads, marginalia etcetera.

From the publisher (auto-translated):

For a more resilient garden, the author of Superplantes presents 84 species of perennials, trees and shrubs, like superheroes with multiple powers. Because the challenge is enormous: drought, new pests, winters too mild, summers too hot... In this battle to cultivate gardens that resist, adapt and do good for the soil, our best allies are plants!

The book counts 144 pages and measures 17×23 cm

Aqueous Mortar Pestle Grinding / Mortar & Pestle is a two-in-one editorial design. The left page refers to the tool itself, including its cultural significance and symbols, such as the Moon Rabbit. The right page focuses on a scientific research paper I found (Nasseb Singh, Vijai K. Rai, Anil Kumar; published by Elsevier Masson, 2017) titled Aqueous Mortar Pestle Grinding – An efficient, attractive, and viable technique for the regioselective synthesis of β-amino alcohols. I thought it would have been interesting to play with schemes and graphs to reinforce the concept of grinding.

Made in the Editorial Design course held by Armand Mevis at ISIA Urbino in 2023/2024; printed in June 2024.

Veridia Resort uses F37 Britain Serif in the rebranding of their nature resort in the Bay of Chia, Sardinia. The delicate serifs, organic terminals, and high contrast are used boldly against panoramic views of the resort, complementing the pristine and exclusive nature of the location. Supporting F37 Britain Serif in the body copy is Aktiv Grotesk.

Fit Devanagari was used by Addikt for the stage graphics at the Kyoorius Design Awards 2024 held in Mumbai:

Since 2013, the Kyoorius Design Awards have honoured and recognised excellence across Indian design, encompassing Architecture, Interiors, Communication Design and Product Design.

Presented by ZEE5, the Kyoorius Design Awards is an ethical and neutral platform designed to judge work purely on its own merit. This translates to a non-hierarchial award strucutre. There are no Golds, Silvers or Bronzes.

The Elephant remembers the work, even when the rest of the world forgets.

The brand identity of Fore-té Club Attire was designed by Laura Santi at EightySeven:

Fore-té Club Attire is a lifestyle brand that’s reimagining club sports attire for the modern woman. In a world where it’s typical for only a small corner of the pro shop to be reserved for women’s apparel and equipment, founders Andrea and Sean Houlihan saw the need for a fashionable, functional label that put ladies first. […]

Fore-té is designed to disrupt the space by altering women’s expectations for what club fashion can be. They needed a brand experience that could fuse classic form with modern function to appeal to and empower both casual and competitive women to own their style in any club sport setting. […]

Fore-té’s diverse logo suite was built for utility in the fashion space. Its versatile typographic family balances classic and contemporary while maintaining legibility across mediums. Its warm, elegant palette with touches of cooler, natural hues and vibrant pops of color for that energetic flair. Its geometric accent patterns inspired golf course geography. And its actionable tagline, “Play to your strength,” that inspires with a bold, yet approachable brand voice.

The new additional logos are set in ALT Maria Clara. When used on their site, Maria Clara is supported by Aktiv Grotesk Extended.

Safari Riot is an agency helping aspiring digital artists start making money with their projects. Safari Riot with their business partners solve marketing and business planning tasks and produce collaborations. One can become one of the agency’s clients by sending their work at the project’s email.

The agency’s homepage uses variable Fit by David Jonathan Ross and all the other pages are typeset in Compagnie by Pyte Foundry (used for headlines) and Cartograph CF by Connary Fagen (body text).