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The Design of ARCH+ 211/212

As ARCH+ 211/212 "Think Global, Build Social!" also serves as a catalog for the exhibition at DAM it is one of the rare issues that is entirely bilingual. We offer here some design clues to our new readers who come across ARCH+ for the first time.

When Mike Meiré took over the art direction of ARCH+ his main aim was how to convey the idea that ARCH+ is all about content. Not only does he use all available space leaving little white space which he find in ARCH+'s case too decorative. ARCH+ is unique in the way it edit the topics so that each issue should also be treated like something unique while maintaining the core ideal of the design principles. The design reflects the specific theme of each issue in a very direct way. If you read and study the specific aethetic of the projects presented in this issue you will understand the thoughtful design of this very special edition. Enjoy.

 

5 sections

The 5 different sections of the issue corresponds to the organisation of the exhibition. Each section has a different color code.

 

Introduction by Andres Lepik, curator of "Think Global, Build Social!"

The introduction by Andres Lepik is subdivided vertically. The German language columns is white whereas the English columns has the color code of the 5 sections of the issue. The design hints at the introductory character of the text that gives an overview of the themes discussed in the issue.

 

Timeline Culture and Development Policy
Timeline Material

Each section is introduced by a timeline which gives an overview of the historical background of the section's themes. It is organized like a blog that runs chronologically. The timeline is rotated by 90' to make the user aware of the beginning of a new set of arguments the the changing context. The rotation also offers the possibility to read the the timeline as an inlet of a different layer of information that is set apart of the essays and projects. But it also conveys the idea of dates running through the pages that belong together. Only one of the timeline is organized as a gatefold (which is nice but much more expensive).

 

Precedents

In most cases precedents follow the timelines to offer an example of similar approaches in the past. These precedents are set on grey fond to make the time shift visible.

 

Projects

Projects are presented following the color code of the sections. Within the presentations the color code might shift to indicate the beginning of a new project or of different language versions.

 

Essay design alternative: consecutive
Essay design alternative: alternate
Essay design alternative: vertical split
Essay design alternative: horizontal split

For essays the design offers 3 different alternatives: in the first the German and English version runs consecutively. This case is reserved for shorter essays. In case of longer essays the languages alternate which is indicated by changing colors. This design makes clear that the two language versions are treated equivalent. If an essay is accompanied by images the layout is split vertically or horizontally so that images are shared by both language versions.