PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Founded in 1923, Triennale Milano is a leading cultural institution “conveying the complexities of the contemporary world” through design, architecture, and the visual, scenic, and performative arts. In 2020, 2x4 was selected to design the visual identity for the 23rd International Exhibition, “Unknown Unknowns,”. This small catalog (and companion volume) was designed to accompany the exhibition which opened in December 2020. Our identity evokes a void delineated by a sliver of light, a shifting illumination revealing deeper complexities. Custom lettering is inspired by both the literary and the scientific, an empirical version of certainty set against an unfathomable future. The catalog extends these visual themes: entirely black, each page is imagined as a dark void, perforated by white text and punctured by image apertures into allow the reader to peer into the alternative worlds of the exhibition and its contributors. A translucent rose-colored jacket wraps around the object, casting an optimistic glow on the title. Editorial contributors are expansive from scientists to philosophers to designers and artists. If the exhibition was intended to probe the unknown in our lives “from the most distant universe of dark matter” to the “origin of our consciousness,” the design was intended to provide a crisp, clear frame for deep perspective into this vast territory. The catalog also includes an interview with the design team on the concept and process of the identity design and the potential of design as an exploration in and of itself.

BOOK INFORMATION

Trim Size: 5 1/2 x 8 ¼ cm

Number of Pages: 360

Binding Method: Symthe-sewn paperback with acetate dust jacket

Paper:

Typefaces: Ignoto (custom font) Gerstner-Programm (Forgotten Shapes) Heldane text (Klim Type Foundary)

CREDIT INFORMATION

Creative Director: Michael Rock

Art Director: Donnie Luu

Book Designer: Marcus Hollands

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Other Credits: Editorial Coordination: Federica Boragina Font Design: 2x4, Ben Furman-Lee Layout: Fabio Maragno Editing: Giulia Bortoluzzi for Triennale Roberta Rita Pertegato for Electa Translations: Adam Victor, Laurent Sunstein, and Mark Eaton for Scriptum, Rome

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