In FRAME's newest issue, F162, the deeper messages of activism are allowed to stand tall, to do more than simply tread water amidst convoluted visual messaging. Design director Barbara Iwanicka dives into the quiet but deliberate design choices that allow the content to speak volumes.
Over time, spatial design has become deeply entwined with the political and social systems that shape it. Sustainability, wellbeing and inclusivity are no longer just societal aspirations. They are central to how we design spaces. This issue acknowledges that creative practice is never neutral; it either upholds existing power structures or challenges them.
We are navigating a reality of dizzying complexity: socially, economically, politically and culturally. No single mind can fully grasp its weight. Paradoxically, in a world saturated with information, many of our decisions rest not on certainty but on trust, trust in the knowledge, insights and intentions of others. In professional practice, this trust becomes the foundation of progress. We rely on specialists to interpret data. We look to designers to imagine better futures. Collaboration is no longer optional. It is a necessity grounded in mutual reliance. Today, expertise is not just about knowing. It is about being trusted to know and to act responsibly amid uncertainty.
There’s a beautiful collection of short stories by Miranda July, No One Belongs Here More Than You. These are stories about the deep desire to connect and belong, but they are also about personal rebellion: quiet resistance against expectations and loneliness. July’s characters rebel through intimacy and absurdity. In ‘The Swim Team’, the narrator breaks convention by teaching three elderly locals how to swim on the floor of her apartment, using imagination and physical gestures in place of water. Though unorthodox, the lessons create a gentle, intimate bond. She even teaches them to dive, leaping from her desktop onto her bed – an act requiring vulnerability, openness and unconditional trust: “let go of our mammalian pride and surrender to gravity”.
At first, we felt an urge to make this issue scream, with activism in every stroke: rebellious layouts, handwritten type, red colour for impact. But as we sat with the content, we chose instead to honour its gravity. To make space.
Traditionally, we’ve introduced an additional typeface. Knockout, a sans-serif with roots in 19th-century wood type, was originally used on posters, signs and newspapers designed to command attention on crowded streets. Designed by Jonathan Hoefler in 1994, it brings bold energy to the layout and strengthens the message without shouting it down. Its rhythmic, condensed shapes and wide range of widths make it incredibly versatile. Sometimes loud, sometimes quietly confident.
The colour palette in this issue is drawn directly from the content. It is restrained enough to let the projects speak for themselves. Only the cover is somewhat loud, with strong contrasting colours and bold, ‘out of line’ text. You feel the urgency to pick it up and surrender, diving into its transformative contents.
Get your copy of FRAME 162 now.
