Frankfurter Buchmesse 2025

Last week, we returned to the Frankfurter Buchmesse, the largest annual migration point for everyone orbiting around books, design and publishing. Even after so many visits, the halls continue to offer endless inspiration and lively conversations, as well as the chance to reconnect with the international publishing community.

Around the aisles, we found plenty of familiar people and publications. But especially thrilling was the booth by IDEA Books, where our newest releases were on display: Slanted Magazine #46 – Cairo, The World’s Best Typography, Typography 46 by the Type Director Club, VOID.Reflections by Void, Alphabetical Playground by Nigel Cottier, and Imagine — Embracing Chaos and Possibility in a Planetary Emergency by Laura Francois, Natalie Seisser, Viola Dessin, and Lars Harmsen. Seeing them together and noticing the attention they drew from design lovers and independent publishers was a highlight of the day.

Nearby, Verlag Hermann Schmidt brought in the crowds with our bold and colourful Typodarium 2026 (now available for order), while Seltmann Publishers showcased our ever-popular Photodarium, a classic that continues to thrill visitors year after year.

The Philippines, this year’s Guest of Honour, brought a subtle yet powerful presence to the fair. Their pavilion, carefully curated and thoughtfully designed, offered a quiet counterpoint to the flurry of licence trading and product launches elsewhere.

Later, we visited Reflex Paper, where our publication Support Independent Type II was on display. Exploring their range of special papers, including the transparent Ibo sheets that we have featured before, was inspiring and gave us ideas for future projects.

Outside, between the halls, preparations for Frankfurt's 2026 World Design Capital year were already visible, with an area dedicated to the programme focusing on design as a driver of social change. We had the opportunity to browse the accompanying book, as well as visit interactive stations and view a showcase of posters from past events.

One of the day’s highlights was meeting exhibitors from South Korea, including Ahn Graphics, a publishing house that blends design tradition with fresh ideas, and Hanji House, the Korean Craft & Design Foundation. With our future Slanted Magazine issue on Seoul, these encounters felt perfectly timed and almost surreal. Nearly everyone we spoke to from South Korea was already a long-time Slanted reader, a reminder of how far our magazines travel.

Finally, we ended the day at the Stiftung Buchkunst exhibition, browsing this year's award-winning titles from Germany and abroad. We caught a glimpse of their annual showcase of all the selected works from this year's selection. 

One day at the fair is never enough, but we left feeling inspired, with our minds buzzing with ideas, and already looking forward to next year.