FRAME's design director Barbara Iwanicka reflects on her first impactful experiences with community and shares how those learnings influence the design of our latest issue.
When I was 15 years old, I had the opportunity to witness my first street theatre performance, Carmen Funebre. A dramatic and amazing experience, it was presented by the renowned Polish Teatr Biuro Podrozy. As the performers transformed the street into a stage and started pulling actors from the audience, the borders between reality and artistic expression were completely blurred. We all became, unexpectedly, part of the story.
This event marked the beginning of my journey into theatre. It also awakened within me a deep appreciation for the power of belonging and community. In the magical world of theatre, no one was odd enough, funny enough, wild enough or unusual enough. We all shared a deep passion for storytelling and the transcendent power of theatre. This sense of belonging was transformative: as humans, we inherently seek connections and shared narratives to make sense of the world.
In that spirit, the winter edition of FRAME magazine centers on the theme of community, encompassing topics like community-driven housing, user-driven retail, collaborative design and shared wellness initiatives. The editorial strategy encouraged us to seek out design elements that would strengthen this overarching concept. Consistent with past editions, we aimed to introduce an additional font, looking for a typeface that would support the concept of inclusivity.
We decided to go with ‘Queering’, designed by Adam Naccarato. Queering is a strong display typeface, drawing inspiration from protest posters and contemporary queer publications. Its name reflects the act of challenging established categories, like gender and sexuality, to create a more inclusive space. Queering operates on a pay-what-you-want model and is an open-source font, governed by the SIL Open Font License. All proceeds from this font project go towards supporting the Ali Forney Center in New York.
Within the communal space of FRAME 154, we not only celebrate our differences but also recognize our commonalities – like I first learned from the theatre world. We invite you to engage in a meaningful dialogue with our own stories and those of others.
Get your copy of FRAME 154 here.
