Budapest100
An open-house festival exploring Budapest’s late-modern heritage through the buildings of the 1970s. The 2024 identity turned a contested subject into a flexible system for campaign, editorial, digital and community-led communication.
Background
Architecture from the 1970s is often dismissed as cold, outdated or purely functional. Budapest100 set out to challenge that view by opening its buildings, histories and communities to the public. The design challenge was to make the subject inviting without reducing it to a nostalgic cliché or superficial playfulness.
The identity had to work at two ends of the system: as a high-impact public campaign and as a practical toolkit for residents, organisers and researchers. It needed to bring together posters, a programme guide, a research publication, presentations and digital communication within one recognisable framework.
Outcome
The visual identity translated the spatial language of late-modern architecture into a modular system of angular grids, layered planes and bold colour. Structured typography kept the expression clear and legible, while the saturated palette brought warmth and energy to a subject often perceived as severe.
The result was a flexible toolkit rather than a fixed campaign style. Reusable elements, editable templates and exportable components enabled the wider team and participating residents to create new materials while keeping the identity intact. The framework connected public campaign, editorial content and community participation within one working identity.
Credits
Client:
KÉK – Contemporary Architecture Centre
Collaborators:
KÉK project and communications team