Architecture on Stage

Launching a new series of talks by the world’s leading architects, the Barbican and The Architecture Foundation commissioned Polytechnic to produce a visual identity for their joint initiative — Architecture on Stage.

Working with Architecture Curator, Daniela Puga and Architecture Foundation Director, Ellis Woodman, the identity reconciled the aesthetics of both institutions and foregrounded the programme of eminent speakers. A series of printed programmes referenced the works of Ian Hamilton Finlay and Concrete poetry, with the delicate and deliberate approach to the layout enabled by the sparse use of the display type Self Modern from Bretagne type foundry. This was paired with Commercial Type’s Marr Sans for the body copy.

For the promotional posters, this relationship was reversed – with Marr Sans being used as the lead font for the names of the speakers and the Text and Italic weights of Self Modern in use for the supporting information. Used in a large point size, Marr Sans lent understated visual interest to the speaker line-up with its unusual characters – such as the closed uppercase C and the playful tail to the Q .

For more information on the project please visit polytechnic.works.