Moments of Meaning-Making – On Anachronism, Becoming, and Conceptualizing

Moments of Meaning-Making – On Anachronism, Becoming, and Conceptualizing by Mieke Bal (1946), a Dutch theorist, video artist, well-known writer and feminist. She has been a Professor in Literary Theory (University of Amsterdam). In 1994 she was a co-founder of the Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis (ASCA). Bal has been teaching at many institutes and universities in Europe, US, and beyond. She is known for her specific ways of ‘deep-reading’ artworks (e.g. Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Louise Bourgeois, Nalini Malani), and intertwining her research with various disciplines, such as contemporary and nineteenth-century literature, psycho-analysis, gender studies, philosophy, bible studies. Bal also works as a video artist, which she approaches as a specific form of cultural analysis.

Now that Mieke Bal is getting older —being very active and involved in many art and research projects— she has been ruminating on how to reflect on a full life with different roles and experiences. She did not want to write a navel-staring autobiography and came up with an ABC of Memories, and the concepts these have generated: key terms that have a specific value to her, that interlink as a mesh of meaning, weaving together daily experiences and teaching, her know-how to art making, to the core concepts of her analytical work.

Supported by: Jaap Harten Fonds

Poster »Open Doors«

Open Doors—a hinzkunst poster designed by burkhardthauke, a multidisciplinary design studio founded in 2009 by Ralph Burkhardt and Daniel Hauke. The office has since been honored with numerous national and international awards.

Alphabetical Playground

Please note: This is a pre-order only, the book gets shipped once published in September 2025.

Following the success of Letterform Variations, Nigel Cottier presents a study into the alphabet as medium in his new book Alphabetical Playground. From this has emerged a catalogue of numerous alphabets and letterforms (estimated at around 7,000 unique letterforms), all created using a series of systems, codes and themes to generate expression and form within the confines of the alphabetic code. With a theme or system for each letter of the alphabet, the book is an exploration into systems within systems, a code within a code.

Alphabetic Playground—an alphabetical system where each letterform can contain multiple letters within it, so a single piece of text can in fact contain multiple messages.

Grafikmagazin 03.25

As the name indicates, Grafikmagazin is a print magazine focusing on all things graphic design. Primarily it’s aimed at professional creatives and design students from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and beyond. Grafikmagazin presents outstanding work from graphic design, typography, illustration, photography, design theory, research, paper, and printing every two months. The editorial team of Grafikmagazin created a variety of sections and categories but selected focus themes for each issue, like “Festivals & Events.” The topics portray how imaginative, eclectic, and playful graphic design can be while featuring successful branding concepts and niche ideas.

The extensive “Showroom” section lets readers know other creatives and the stories behind design studios worldwide. The “Design and Research” category presents interdisciplinary projects that show how science and research can benefit from creative solutions and play an active role in graphic design. In the “Production and Publishing” section, everything revolves around print. You will find exquisite books, sophisticated annual reports, and high-quality embossed greeting cards. Also, the cover artists of each issue are interviewed or get to highlight their ideas.

Each cover is printed on a different paper, and the design interprets the particular Grafik+ theme more broadly or shares a fresh perspective on a unique design technique. The Grafikmagazin team, its correspondents, and freelancers are bound and driven by the firm belief that print is not dead. With the will to prove just how alive it is, and the motivation to start something fresh yet deeply traditional, they strive for nothing less than to create another print magazine that makes history.

Generative KI und die Künste

Since the surprising breakthrough of generative AI models, the old debate about artificial intelligence has been on everyone’s lips, although the associated discussion is often surprisingly undifferentiated; the talk is then of ’the’ AI and what its emergence means for ’us’ – and of course also of ‘its’ (many) dangers. It is not surprising that phrases such as ‘AI is the future’ are not too far off the mark, usually accompanied by a warning not to miss out. What to do with a ‘stochastic parrot’ that can paint, write poetry and compose?
Based on the observation that ’AI is the present’, Merz Akademie lecturer Jürgen Riethmüller attempts to remedy this deficit a little from a cultural theory perspective in Generative KI und die Künste by focussing entirely on the question of the future role of generative AI models in the arts. Surprisingly, the strengths of these applications seem to lie particularly in the fictional area of (transmedial) ‘invented images’.
Book in German language.

Des Dodos neue Territorien – Potenziale der Illustration in Zeiten der KI

We are experiencing an upheaval in the visual arts that has rarely been seen before: artificial intelligence is becoming the catalyst for a creative renaissance that is both expanding the possibilities of artistic design and redefining the role of the artist and copyright. Prof Florian Bayer examines this profound change in Des Dodos neue Territorien – Potenziale der Illustration in Zeiten der KI.
In the second volume of edition orange, edited by Barbara M. Eggert, Florian Bayer explores the boundaries between critical discourse and visionary thinking for illustration at the interface between individual artistic creation and collectively available AI technology. The professor of illustration defines the ability for ‘adaptive transformation and strategic repositioning’ as another key skill for designers.
Book in German language.

Imagine—Embracing Chaos and Possibility in a Planetary Emergency

Please note: This is a pre-order only, the book gets shipped once published in September 2025.

Imagine—Embracing Chaos and Possibility in a Planetary Emergency is not a conventional book or practical guide. It is an interdisciplinary collection of conversations, reflections, and contributions that explore life in times of global crisis—what some call a “planetary emergency.” Its purpose is to share diverse perspectives on today’s ecological, social, and cultural challenges and to create space for deeper inquiry.

The contributors include experts and practitioners from fields such as science, art, activism, ecopsychology, and systems thinking. Among them are Nora Bateson (systems theory), Vanessa Machado de Oliveira (decolonial education), Rudi Putra (environmental protection in Indonesia), Brother Phap Linh (Buddhist practice), and many others.

Rather than offering simple answers, this book invites readers to reflect, pause, and engage with the complexity of our current moment. It serves as a companion and archive of thought—encouraging new relationships with ourselves, society, and the planet.

This publication is published with the kind support of Awe Exchange.

100 Beste Plakate 24

In the yearbook, the winning posters of the competition 100 Beste Plakate 24 are presented in large-format images with detailed credits, including brief descriptions of content aspects and the context of their creation. This is supplemented with a contact register of all designers and listings of clients and printing companies. The introduction of the jury, featuring their own works and statements about the selection process, along with forewords from the association president and the jury chair, completes the publication.

Additionally, an essay or interview contribution addresses related topics in current poster design, development trends, and analyzes. The current book concept takes the actual highlight at the end for the designers involved in the winning posters as its basis: the certificates awarded by the organizer as an honorary tribute give rise to ironic questioning on the borderline between seriousness and benevolent mockery.

Tristesse from Basel, a trio of two graphic designers and a filmmaker / photographer, came up with the idea so that the ensemble of layout, typography and photography could be produced entirely in-house. The 100 Best Plakate as the leading actors on a stage—rich in elements that are true to the style of the Swiss studio: fresh and cheeky.

we work because we love this shit. Formdusche – A Berlin Design Studio from Scratch

With we work because we love this shit. Formdusche – A Berlin Design Studio from Scratch, formdusche presents a luxurious 416-page retrospective just in time for its anniversary: snazzy typography, spot color to the max, filled to the brim with gems from the archive.
A lively mixture of backstage information, heard blood, workflow and project show provides an insight into the last 15 years and the formdusche spirit—a declaration of love to graphic design.
—
Extra: »Kind of Magic« A2 Poster!

Ephemeral Echoes

Between movement and standstill, the camera freezes a fraction of a second that would otherwise pass unnoticed. In a restless, digitally networked world, Simon Gerlinger’s photos in Ephemeral Echoes invite us to pause and turn our attention to the quiet moments. The images do not provide any big answers, but rather raise questions: What was yesterday? What is today? And what could be tomorrow?

Gerlinger’s photographs spark something in us: They make the viewer fall into a deep sense of nostalgia. The people and places in his photos become projection surfaces for our own memories, which we encounter again and again in everyday life. The photographs are not just projections, but also documentation of a search—for what, actually? A search between Denmark, Berlin, Dortmund, New York and the south of France that spans the photographer’s last eight years: it doesn’t matter where the images are located in the real world. They show the photographer’s innermost self—his everyday perception. Between studying, finding one’s way in the world, falling in love and forgetting time for a moment. Photography not only as an exercise in seeing, but also as an act of preservation—perhaps as a brief distraction from the realization that everything will one day come to an end.

 

Hallo Kopenhagen

Rediscover Copenhagen – through curated recommendations, literature, and local flair.

Hallo Kopenhagen (it’s written in German language) is not your typical travel guide, but rather a beautifully crafted city book – blending photo essay, art project, interview collection, and literary portrait.

With personal conversations, atmospheric photography, and excerpts from contemporary Danish literature translated into German for the first time, this book opens up fresh perspectives on Denmark’s capital.
It invites you to explore unique places, discover voices from the local literary scene, and dive into curated tips on culture and cuisine—perfect for anyone looking to experience Copenhagen in depth.

– sustainably and climate-neutrally printed in Hamburg
– independently published with love and care
– a visual gem: open thread binding
– ideal as a gift or for armchair travel

Brain on Fire matches game

This fresh take on the classic matchstick puzzles will set your brain on fire. Kids will love the set of 6 different matchboxes, each featuring a different neon orange and black illustration of renegade matchsticks, brains, flames, and explosions.
Follow the instructions in the tiny booklet to lay out the matches in progressively more complex puzzles and solve.

Graphic Languages—A Visual Guide to the World’s Writing Systems

Graphic Languages is a vibrant visual journey and guide through the world’s most influential writing systems—brought to life by Oliver Häusle in collaboration with leading international type designers and script experts. At its heart lies the unique visual DNA of each script: its striking forms, cultural significance, and enduring power as a cornerstone of human communication. With a bold focus on design, Graphic Languages is an inspiring introduction and celebration of of the incredible diversity of global writing systems.

But this is more than just a presentation —Graphic Languages is a dynamic resource for designers of all kinds, from students and educators to seasoned professionals. Packed with expert insights, curated reading, and cultural context, Graphic Languages invites you to dive deeper into the fascinating histories, meanings, and creative potential of writing systems worldwide. It’s a powerful reminder of how writing doesn’t just communicate—it connects.

A visual guide to the following Writing Systems:

Adlam, Arabic, Armenian, Bangla, Chinese (Hanzi), Cyrilic, Devanagari, Ge’ez, Georgian, Greek, Gujarati, Gurmukhi, Hangul, Hebrew, Japanese (Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji), Kannada, Khmer, Latin, Malayalam, N’Ko, Odia, Sinhala, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Tifinagh

 

Graphic Languages isn’t just another typography book; it’s a visual celebration of human ingenuity.
weandthecolor.com

Slanted Magazine #45—Sex

Slanted Magazine #45—Sex embarks on a thought-provoking journey through themes of gender, body image, and sexuality, created in partnership with Munich’s Archive Artist Publications (AAP), directed by artist and archivist Hubert Kretschmer. This edition draws from one of the world’s most extensive private collections of artist publications, home to over 89,988 rare zines, booklets, posters, and other printed matter collected since the 1980s.

From contemporary and historical perspectives, this issue showcases zines, booklets, posters, and publications that engage with body politics, self-image, and identity. As visual narratives shape norms, marginalized bodies—non-binary, queer, disabled, racialized—are often underrepresented or portrayed in tokenized ways. Slanted Magazine #45—Sex invites readers to question these conventions and encourages a critical look at the media‘s role in representing bodies.

Through provocative visuals and diverse stories, Slanted Magazine #45—Sex opens the door to a deeper, multifaceted dialogue on bodies and belonging.

The cover artwork was designed by Guillaume Kashima.

Explore the special edition and get 4 beautiful art prints by Guillaume Kashima, created exclusively for #45—Sex!

Special Edition Sex: Art Prints + Slanted Magazine #45—Sex

In collaboration with Berlin-based artist Guillaume Kashima, we are thrilled to present a special edition on the occasion of Slanted Magazine #45—Sex. In addition to the magazine, this edition includes four beautifully designed art prints by Guillaume Kashima, capturing the theme of the new Slanted issue in a wonderfully playful way.

The art prints are real eye-catchers: vibrant blue spot color printed on luxurious Chromolux cardboard, refined with partial matte varnish—creating a stunning contrast that adds depth and a unique tactile experience. Carefully cut to size and perfectly suited for framing, these prints are the ideal way to adorn your space with bold, captivating art and make a stylish statement.

About Guillaume Kashima

For over 20 years, Guillaume Kashima has explored illustration, printmaking and ceramics with a unified vision: embracing each medium’s unique traits ans limitations. From bold DIY-inspired zines to the refined gradients of risoprints, his prints celebrate simplicity and resourcefulness. In ceramics, Guillaume channels clay’ natural character, creating raw, expressive forms like planters and masks. Across all his work, he transforms constraints into creativity., finding beauty in the unexpected. guillaumekashima.com – @ffwg

About Slanted Magazine #45–Sex
Spring/Summer 2025

Slanted Magazine #45—Sex embarks on a thought-provoking journey through themes of gender, body image, and sexuality, created in partnership with Munich’s Archive Artist Publications (AAP), directed by artist and archivist Hubert Kretschmer. This edition draws from one of the world’s most extensive private collections of artist publications, home to over 89,988 rare zines, booklets, posters, and other printed matter collected since the 1980s. Through provocative visuals and diverse stories, Slanted Magazine #45—Sex opens the door to a deeper, multifaceted dialogue on bodies and belonging. Find out more about the issue here.

Mothering Myths – An ABC of Art, Birth and Care

Motherhood is a theme that stands at the core of life, but has nevertheless been kept in the private sphere for a long time, haunted by clichés, stigmas and myths. Motherhood has always been seen as trivial, not as a subject for real art. At the same time, artists with a womb have faced the cliché that they had to decide between making art or having a child, as both would take up all the mother’s time and energy.

Mothering Myths unravels these clichés, stigmas and myths, through the lens of art, and a transhistorical and intersectional perspective, while being very playful and open to many interpretations. It breaks through the perspective of the individual mother figure and makes space for collectivity, different forms of ‘mothering’ and political questions surrounding self-determination. Mothering Myths presents the emancipatory nature of the artist-mother, the voluntarily childless woman, the non-female mother and the ‘raven mother’, through concepts such as kinship, revolutionary parenting, womb consciousness and reproductive justice.

Contributors: Rosemarie Buikema, Laurie Cluitmans & Heske ten Cate, Trudy Dehue, Babs Gons, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Camille Henrot, bell hooks, Bart Rutten, Lisa Smit, Lily van der Stokker, Taka Taka, and many others.

Partners: Centraal Museum Utrecht (Exhibition: “Good Mom/Bad Mom: Unraveling the Mother Myth,” 29 March–14 Sept. 2025) Nest, The Hague (Exhibition: “Thanks, But No Thanks,” Spring 2026)

Support: Mondriaan Fund, Cultuurfonds, HORIZON EU/RE-WIRING, MOED

Design Basics. From Ideas to Products

Design Basics offers a professional yet compact introduction to industrial design, written by specialists in the field with years of experience as product designers and design educators at various universities. The book is aimed at enquiring users as well as committed entrepreneurs, interested technicians and aspiring designers from a great variety of fields.

The central theme is product design, taking the conflicting interests of consumers, manufacturers and designers into consideration. All factors of planning and design of industrial products are considered and presented clearly. The authors cover the entire field – from the historical roots to the outlook in the near future, from a comprehensive look at product functions to analysis of the complex design process, from theoretical foundations to descriptive case studies.

Grafikmagazin 02.25

As the name indicates, Grafikmagazin is a print magazine focusing on all things graphic design. Primarily it’s aimed at professional creatives and design students from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and beyond.

Grafikmagazin presents outstanding work from graphic design, typography, illustration, photography, design theory, research, paper, and printing every two months. The editorial team of Grafikmagazin created a variety of sections and categories but selected focus themes for each issue, like “Design for SMEs.” The topics portray how imaginative, eclectic, and playful graphic design can be while featuring successful branding concepts and niche ideas.

The extensive “Showroom” section lets readers know other creatives and the stories behind design studios worldwide. The “Design and Research” category presents interdisciplinary projects that show how science and research can benefit from creative solutions and play an active role in graphic design. In the “Production and Publishing” section, everything revolves around print. You will find exquisite books, sophisticated annual reports, and high-quality embossed greeting cards. Also, the cover artists of each issue are interviewed or get to highlight their ideas.

Each cover is printed on a different paper, and the design interprets the particular Grafik+ theme more broadly or shares a fresh perspective on a unique design technique. The Grafikmagazin team, its correspondents, and freelancers are bound and driven by the firm belief that print is not dead. With the will to prove just how alive it is, and the motivation to start something fresh yet deeply traditional, they strive for nothing less than to create another print magazine that makes history.

Rhetoric of Logos. A Primer for Visual Language

The creation of a logo, one of the most important elements of corporate branding, is a demanding design task. The idea that a good logo is by definition a persuasive logo suggests a direct link to the principles of rhetoric, which, according to Aristotle, has the power of observing the means of persuasion on almost any subject. It follows that rhetorical concepts and methods are ideally suited for understanding the effectiveness of logos and expanding the horizons of applied design work.

After an overview of the history of logos and how corporate design has evolved since its inception, Eduard Helmann illustrates in Rhetoric of Logos. A Primer for Visual Language how designers can utilize the tools of rhetoric. Stylistic devices play a central role in this as logos are analyzed and classified to determine which communicative strategies and intended effects they fulfill. The theoretical insights gained from this process provide designers with a wealth of knowledge that facilitates analysis, ideas generation, and argumentation along with a deeper understanding of the design process.

Italic. What gives Typography its emphasis

The use of italic letters for accentuation has become a common practice in the digital age. Italics convey movement and dynamics, address the emotional experience of reading and remind readers of handwriting. Their lively nature – once the result of handwritten movements – becomes noticeably lost once words are tilted at the click of a mouse.

To spread more knowledge about this typographic feature and arrive at a general definition of the script style, Hendrik Weber has compiled stylistic examples presenting the tangible forms, characteristics and functions of the ‘italic nature’. Furthermore, he deals intensively with the historical development of italics from handwriting to digital typesetting.

The monograph Italic. What gives Typography its emphasis is the first detailed treatise on the topic. It is for everyone passionate about letters.

Snow

Snow offers an intimate photographic exploration of Kars, a Turkish city steeped in centuries of complex history. Once the capital of Armenian kingdoms and later a strategic frontier for Byzantines, Seljuks, and Ottomans, Kars embodies the cultural and political entanglements of empires. A pivotal moment came with the Russian takeover during the 1877–78 Russo-Turkish War. Following repeated sieges, Russia annexed Kars and established the Kars Oblast under a military-native government, reshaping its demographics and governance.

This project reflects on the layered past of Kars—from colonial transformations and ethnic migrations to shared human experiences—challenging Orientalist narratives by revealing universal connections. The book features several texts that intertwine images with the intricate social context. Dr. Kübra Zeynep Sarıaslan also examined Snow by Orhan Pamuk from an anthropological perspective and contributed an essay to the book.

Swiss Design. Icons Made in Switzerland

The ingenious fusion of minimalism, precision and functionality: Design products from Switzerland are renowned, desired and admired worldwide.

Swiss Design. Icons Made in Switzerland presents timeless classics as well as contemporary design creations that continue the success story of Swiss design. The author highlights the special features of the selected products from over 120 years, tells the story of their development and portrays the respective designers and brands. In chronological order, pictures and texts reveal the sources of this special, fascinating global success.

Olympic Games. The Design

Can there be a more monumental and exciting challenge in the design sector than the creation of an identity for the Olympic Games? Each host city requires its very own and unique image in which national identity and international trends are merged with the Olympic spirit of friendship, solidarity, and fair play.

Olympic Games – The Design presents for the first time a chronological overview of the visual identity of all Olympic Games. In addition to information about the respective Olympic Games and their designers, the author Markus Osterwalder has compiled around 6,000 images that give a comprehensive overview of the design identities of all Olympic Games such as emblems, mascots, sports and signage pictograms, typefaces, medals, uniforms, admission tickets, posters and, of course, the Look of the Games.

Support Independent Type ll

Support Independent Type II is s the highly anticipated follow-up to the acclaimed 2020 book Support Independent Type. The second edition continues to celebrate the vibrant culture of independent type specimens and their influence on design and typography. It serves as both a manifesto and a visual showcase, featuring over 300 cutting edge type foundries—all offering a promising alternative to corporate font distributors. With this large number of type foundries, the book showcases a diverse range of fonts—from experimental designs to bold, groundbreaking fonts that push the boundaries of the traditional.

The book goes further into the world of type specimens—revealing new trends, showcasing innovative designs, and presenting the book itself as a visual art object. Through this carefully curated collection, the authors emphasize how independent type design reflects cultural shifts and sparks creative innovation.

– A curated collection of type specimens, spanning digital formats, printed works, and tactile type objects

– Insight into new trends and groundbreaking innovations in typography

– A bold exploration of how independent type foundries challenge corporate font distributors and reflect broader cultural shifts

Support Independent Type II is a deep dive into the passion and craft of independent type design and an essential resource for graphic designers, creative directors, or anyone obsessed with type!

“The Must-Have Book Celebrating Today’s Freshest Fonts.”
We And The Color
“A very beautifully designed brochure.”
Rudolf Paulus Gorbach
tgm blog