Dimitris Papazoglou on the typographic identity of the 57th TIFF

Jim Jarmusch, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, Turkish filmmaker Zeki Demirkubuz and local soccer club PAOK were just some of the stars of this year’s Thessaloniki International Film Festival. Yet, the best design award of this 57th edition goes to the renowned Greek designer Dimitris Papazoglou.

“The festival’s international character prompted a need to create a unified and versatile visual language for the institution, with strong elements of extrovert thinking, and not just as an isolated piece of work that could be resized in different formats, which has been the case up until now. With that in mind we tried along with my collaborators Axell Peemoeller and Yannis Fetanis to remain true to this decision throughout.”

“The visual language adopted for the design of both the poster and all applications of the 57th TIFF’s visual identity, is inspired by a series of cinema’s key-features; the projection screen, the sense of repetition, but also the diversity of film frames, the concept of projection, the sense of movement and the perspective of the theatre itself upon the viewer’s entry (the row of seats from last to first)” says the 40 year old multi-awarded Papazoglou.

“All of the above elements were translated, reconstructed and shaped through the use of typography creating a new work of art with multiple layers of interpretation, allowing the viewer to read it subjectively, whilst enhancing the overall experience of the art of cinematography. Additionally the strict use of black and white and the choice of a completely technical, monospaced typeface strengthens this experience even further, whilst simultaneously creating a link between classic cinema and the technology that surrounds it.

The poster has been designed with the purpose of reprinting it with creative versatility in mind in catalogues, banners, press releases and other formats. As a total, all of the applied mediums of the project work together to create a solid visual language for the 57th TIFF” he adds.