Our design director Barbara Iwanicka discusses how the design of FRAME's winter issue reflects the sense of unrest and urgency needed to address the ever-present perils of the climate crisis.
If you've ever read Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, you may have noticed how the cities he describes are deeply connected to water, whether through canals, rivers or lakes. In these cities, water forms the very foundation of their existence, shaping their distinct identities. Calvino's cities rely on water, but this reliance also makes them fragile. Water sustains these places, yet it also brings inherent risks, embodying the delicate balance between permanence and the inevitable decay of urban structures. Often, the presence of water mirrors human emotions, especially nostalgia and longing, and serves as a metaphor for the unknown, the undiscovered and the unexplored. Calvino’s book has been on my mind a lot recently, as water has been very present in my life over the past few months.
This issue of FRAME delves into sustainability, highlighting the essential connections between our buildings, nature and society. It explores how design and architecture can help people reconnect with the land and take a more active role in environmental care. While I worked on this issue from Amsterdam, floods devastated Poland, where I'm originally from. The river in my hometown overflowed, engulfing 90 per cent of the city, forcing the evacuation of entire neighbourhoods, displacing families and closing schools and businesses. I was constantly worried about my family and friends. And now, as I write this, Valencia, Spain, is grappling with catastrophic floods. Climate experts warn that such extreme weather events, once rare, are becoming more frequent and more destructive. In an article on flood-resilient architecture, Alexandre Langlois emphasizes that many cities are unprepared to protect residents from such disasters. However, he also points out that this crisis presents an opportunity to adopt innovative, climate-positive strategies that not only safeguard communities but also foster resilience, environmental stewardship and a renewed sense of togetherness.
Designing this issue came with a sense of unrest and urgency, likely amplified by my personal circumstances. Yet, it also underscored that sustainability is far more than a trendy topic; it’s a vital priority for today’s world. To elevate the magazine’s design, we introduced an additional typeface: Brut by Valerio Monopoli, a brutalist, curveless serif font. It’s not particularly sustainable in its aesthetic: rigid, angular and strikingly high contrast. Our choice was driven more by intuition than logic. Brut feels raw, immediate and urgent, perfectly capturing the mood of this issue.
Get your copy of FRAME 159 now.
