Amid the ongoing boom in art book fairs, GRAPHIC invited a range of organizers to share their perspectives on the current state of the art book fair ecosystem and the roles these events should play. Metaphorically, this issue serves as a large roundtable featuring over 30 art book fairs from around the world —from long-established to newly founded—each with its own mix of tradition, scale, background, and motivation.

A poster from the perspective of bacteria lying dormant in permafrost.
Part of the “Soon It Will Be Your Time To Shine” trilogy from the first half of 2025, it was first presented at the art book fair “Unlimited Edition” in 2025.

Poster design for an exhibition, Cast

Identity and book design for an exhibition, NO MIDDLE GROUND

Design for a quarterly magazine, Archive Prism

The work, Numbered Landscape, is an attempt to transform the landscape of Rhein river in Düsseldorf to a book format based on the connection between the numbers of the streetlights and the page number.

A poster desgin for a compettition, The 2nd Gunsan Hyper Short Literature Award

This zine is about a journey for collecting his book he has been worked for fifteen years, to contribute a designer archive project of Gunsan Art Book fair 2025.

A series of English typographic works themed around animals.
These images will be included in HyperPension’s upcoming typebook, scheduled for publication in the second half of 2026.

A series of English typographic works themed around the geologic era.
These images will be included in HyperPension’s upcoming typebook, scheduled for publication in the second half of 2026.

A magazine devoted to the echidna, explores the charm of
this egg-laying mammal, so often overshadowed by the platypus.

“The Echidna Zine” is an independently published zine produced using a range of printing techniques, including manuscript reproduction, rubber stamp printing, and cyanotype.
It was first presented at the 2026 art book fair “Offcut Seoul.”

This work adopts the visual language of classic, industrial user interfaces found in infrared thermographic measurement tools.
To commemorate the studio’s third anniversary—reached through repeated trials and hardships—images of animals in combat were used.

Design studio HyperPension created a poster for the exhibition 《198X》, organized by Design History Society Of Korea.
The exhibition revisited the 1980s through the lens of creators born in the 1990s and later, especially in the section titled “Young Eyes, 198X.”

The work was produced as a large-scale banner (120 × 300 mm) and exhibited at DDP.

This is a typographic experiment combining the typeface Antonym with a range of color fragments.
The letterforms are overlaid with modular color elements that partially obscure and reconstruct their structure. Rather than functioning as a surface, the fragments act as independent units that interrupt, replace, and extend the forms.
This creates a shifting relationship between legibility and abstraction, where each word exists simultaneously as text and composition.

Index of Cat is part of the Flefixx project, focusing on the direct mutation of a single word. Starting from “cat,” each variation emerges through small shifts in letter combinations, accompanied by corresponding changes in the figure. The process ignores linguistic logic and instead follows simple, incremental transformations, where text and image evolve together through continuous modification.

Thermography is a graphic design zine that draws on the visual language of infrared thermal imaging.
Just as infrared light exists beyond the visible spectrum, the work conveys that those who support you are always present, even if they are not seen.
An independently published zine composed of a fluorescent-printed poster and fragments of text, it was first presented at the art book fair “Unlimited Edition” in 2025

Map of Cat is part of the Flefixx project, a typographic experiment based on rule-less transformations of letterforms.
Starting from the word “cat,” the composition expands through a series of visually connected variations. Rather than following etymology, the words are linked purely through letter combinations. Each branch develops by adding, removing, or shifting characters, forming chains of incidental connections.

Junction: Common ancestor adopts the visual grammar of road signage found across Korea.
The work was produced by a manufacturer of official Korean traffic signs, using aluminum and high-intensity reflective sheeting.
It was first presented at HyperPension’s first solo exhibition, “Planet,” and has since been exhibited multiple times, including at the K Museum of Contemporary Art.

By introducing wordplay into the everyday sign graphics found throughout Korean cities, this zine presents a witty, encouraging visual language for urban dwellers.

1 Worries Extinguisher
2 Emergency Hammer — Break the past and make you escape.
3 How to Use a Fire Extinguisher — Pull out your fears, and take action on what you’ve been putting off.

Where does our affection for, and longing toward, the sun arise from?
Is it an unconscious reverence for the primary source of planetary energy?
Or an ancient loyalty inherent to us as organic beings?

“Anthem to the Sun” is an offering to the sun, made from the perspective of an earthbound animal.
It is an independently published zine composed of a poster and fragments of text, first presented at the 2025 art book fair “Unlimited Edition.”

A poster series featuring four literary authors, produced using fluorescent printing. First presented at the Unlimited Edition art book fair in Seoul in 2025.

FRONT KIT developed the verbal and visual identity of “2022 Dear Seohaean.” Seohaean, the west sea shore of the Korean Peninsula, has one of the world’s most significant tidal flat ecosystems — a UNESCO World Heritage site. The title contributed to building emotional connections that motivate people to protect the sea and its marine life. The main graphic was created by pixelating the coastline, translating its sea, mud flats, and land into a vivid color system with variations.

Polish fine art photographer Marcin Ryczek gained international recognition when his work “A Man Feeding Swans in the Snow” went viral in 2013. FRONT KIT developed the identity, key visuals, and spatial design for his first exhibition in Korea — drawing on the Korean aesthetic of ‘yeobek’, the beauty of empty space. FRONT KIT created unique typography inspired by the photographs and used a dividing line — symbolizing coexistence, contrast, and harmony — as a central motif throughout the design.

Deodeok, a root vegetable found across East Asia, is only used as food in Korea. “Deodeokmong” was created to promote its diverse potential. FRONT KIT developed the naming, logo, graphic, and space design. The logo was derived from the silhouette of bundled deodeok roots, transforming their organic form into a bold graphic symbol. Through this branding, Deodeokmong has been selected as a Korean Souvenir and received a ministerial award, establishing itself as a representative Korean brand.