In keeping with the “Under Construction” theme of this 2025’s festival, our exhibitions were also “under construction.” Alongside familiar formats, the program once again included exciting new exhibitions that took a look into the past, shed light on the present, and offered fresh perspectives.
100 Best Posters 24
Kornschütte free admission
Every year, the 100 Best Posters exhibition presents the latest and most exciting cultural posters from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The winners are selected as part of the competition and represent the creative engagement with the medium of posters and the diverse work of the graphic design scene in German-speaking countries. This year, 2,509 posters were submitted by 711 designers. The jury awarded 34 posters from Germany, 3 from Austria, and 63 from Switzerland. The winning posters are part of a traveling exhibition and are presented in the competition’s yearbook designed by Basel studio Tristesse, which ironically and reflectively questions the honoring of designers—available at our festival shop.
Jury: Adeline Mollard (Zurich), Anouk Rehorek (Vienna), Hans Günter Schmitz (Wuppertal), Stephanie Specht (Antwerp) and Jonas Wandeler (Zürich)
Formato Cantonale
Kunsthalle (Bourbaki)
Formato Cantonale brings together the professional practice of
graphic designers from Ticino working in the field of visual commu-
nication, invited to exhibit projects that, in their own criteria, best
represent their professional practice.
Given its geographical as well as cultural position, having a connec-
tion to the Canton of Ticino gives rise to fragmented professional
paths: should one decide to remain rooted and grow within the can-
tonal borders? Or is it necessary to cross them in order to develop
one’s research and personal language?
The relationship between local identity and external engagement is
not unique to Ticino, but it certainly raises a fundamental question
for starting a career in a small cultural setting.
The works are therefore gathered in a panoramic exhibition on the
region, where the criteria chosen by each designer in turn create a
diverse range of generations, educational backgrounds, profes-
sional practices, and possible interpretations of the theme.
Concept, curation and exhibition design: Ruben Bähler, Luca Riva
Best Book Design from All Over the World
Ahoi
This year, Weltformat is once again showcasing the award-winning books from the international competition Best Book Design from all over the World. In addition to the winner, which was honored with the Golden Letter, the other 13 award-winning publications will also be on display. Despite cultural differences in book production, the competition attempts to compare the technical and aesthetic standards as well as the appropriate and artistic design of books across national borders.
Jury: Shin Akiyama (Japan), Birna Geirfinnsdóttir (Iceland), Astrid Seme (Austria), Ákos Polgárdi (Hungary), Giulia Boccarossa (Italy)
Tour de Suisse
Rössligasse
The exhibition presents a selection of bachelor’s projects from this year by Switzerland’s design schools. It offers insights into current themes and approaches of young designers, highlights the diversity and experimental spirit of contemporary graphic design, and reveals the questions that engage the new generation.
Weltformat Weltformat
Kornmarkt free admission
16 Years in Retrospect – and a New Beginning
After 16 years, a new chapter opens for Weltformat. A new generation takes the lead – with fresh perspectives, new ideas, and curiosity for what lies ahead.
To mark this transition, we look back: all festival posters from the past years are brought into a new dialogue. Not as a mere archive, but as a curated reflection on what design can set in motion – and what remains as an era evolves.
In the spirit of this year’s theme, «Under Construction», the exhibition becomes a moment of transformation – open-ended, in motion, and not quite complete.
Concept, curation and exhibition design: Cinzia Parravicini, Mia Gujer, Michèle Raez and Svenja Kolly