Designing Identities

This year’s Weltformat Graphic Design Festival is all about exploring the ways in which graphic design produces and is produced by visual identity. How do designers approach the design of identity? The festival takes postmodern discourses on identity as a starting point for thinking through questions of materiality and strategy from the perspectives of working designers.

Throughout different exhibitions and a symposium, we offer glimpses into what it means to design identity. In keeping with our theme, we asked a number of international studios to design our festival posters, which will be displayed all over Switzerland! In further exhibitions, we take a closer look at the visual identities of art institutions. We showcase a video work that critically examines the design strategies of art museums. In addition, we asked two curators at renowned Swiss art institutions, to provide insights into the creation of the visual identity of their places of work. Lastly, we issued an open call for printed matter of self-representation. Even as traditional formats, such as business cards, are becoming obsolete, they retain an allure as objects of (design) desire. The resulting exhibition presents tactile examples of how designers want potential clients to experience their professional likeness. As in previous years, Weltformat Graphic Design Festival also features the 2020 edition of Best Book Design from All Over the World and the 100 Best Posters selection. Moreover, we will host the first Junge Grafik Award and associated exhibition.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

The Weltformat team

Thank you for your support!

Header: Compiled from the seven festival posters by Actual Source (Provo) Alexis Mark (Copenhagen), Europium (Paris), Johanna Burai (Stockholm, London), Moonsick Gang (Seoul), New Studio (New York, Lisbon, Athens)
Program curation: Dorothee Dähler (Zurich), Stephanie Cuérel (Zurich)
Advertising Partners: APG | SGA Out of Home Media, JCM Werbedruck, Modul Kultwerbung, Lézard Graphique, Uldry, Von Ah Druck, Syndicom – Gewerkschaft Medien und Kommunikation
Public Support & Foundations: FUKA-Fonds, Ernst Göhner Stiftung, Regionalkonferenz Kultur RKK, Kanton Zug, Stiftung WaliDad, Kanton Nidwalden, MIGROS Kulturprozent Luzern, Casimir Eigensatz Stiftung, Kanton Uri, Kanton Schwyz
Cooperation Partners: 100 beste Plakate e.V., Ahoi, Bettstatt, Fachklasse Grafik FMZ Luzern, Hochschule Luzern – Design & Kunst, Junge Grafik, Kornschütte, Kunsthalle Luzern, Luzerner Kantonalbank, Milk Interactive, Neubad, SGV Schweizer Grafiker Verband, Stiftung Buchkunst, sic! Raum für Kunst, syndicom – Gewerkschaft Medien und Kommunikation, Zentrum für Brückenangebote
Font Partners: Dinamo, Grilli Type
App Partner: Milk Interactive
: A special thank you to all contributors, members and silent helpers!