Planetary Civics: Rethinking Governance for an Interconnected World

Planetary Civics is an initiative exploring new models of governance and global thinking based on planetary interconnectedness, rather than traditional global structures. A collaboration between RMIT Australia, RISD's Center for Complexity, Politics for Tomorrow, and Dark Matter Labs, it seeks to redefine our collective relationship with the planet through ethical stewardship and systemic thinking.

A key component of this project is a variable typeface, designed to visually represent the dynamic and entangled nature of ecological, social, technological, and economic systems. Inspired by Fullerian geometry and organic processes, the typeface embodies the fluidity between order and chaos, reflecting the evolving nature of planetary governance.

The project embraces emergent identity design, where instead of providing fixed answers, the visual language fosters inquiry—aligning with Rainer Maria Rilke’s idea of "living the questions." This approach challenges conventional notions of identity, offering a constantly shifting visual system that mirrors the complexity of planetary entanglements. In doing so, Planetary Civics becomes both a conceptual and aesthetic experiment in reimagining how we engage with governance, society, and the environment.

More on Planetary Civics

Identity and typeface design by Martin Lorenz, Conversational Design Lead at the not-for-profit Dark Matter Labs