City as a Stage is a publication and visual identity created for the National Pavilion of North Macedonia at the Prague Quadrennial 2023. The concept sees the city as a performative space — shaped by architecture, movement and human presence. Bold typography behaves like urban structures, while a vivid green–red palette creates tension and visibility. Modernist architectural fragments act as scenography, framing the narrative of lost utopias. The identity extends beyond the book into posters, tote bags and spatial applications, turning communication into a living urban intervention.
Context
A research-based project dedicated to documenting, witnessing, and preserving collective memory related to various forms of violence. The design needed to move beyond information and provoke a strong physical and emotional response.
Approach
Materiality became the core of the concept. The metal mesh, symbolizing control, isolation, and protection, physically defines the book’s form. Minimal typography and the raw red surface establish a visual language of archival evidence and institutional severity. The system expands consistently across a series of promotional materials.
Why it mattered
The project demonstrates how physical design can act as a medium of meaning. Rather than decorating the subject, the form becomes an argument. The book is not merely a carrier of content but an object that embodies its theme, creating a direct connection between the reader and the sensations of restriction, weight, and testimony.
Poster / Tote Bag / Billboard
