Parallel-Parallel is a gallery of works by graphic designers that
a) have been postponed indefinitely,
b) will never be realized or published,
c) were published for an event that will never take place because of this damn virus.

We believe that graphic design plays with potential realities and with this current crisis we want to see what has been left, on pause, in your hands.

If you are a graphic designer and have been working on a project that fits this description please reach out to us via:
email@parallel-parallel.com

We are looking forward to hearing from you,
your fellow designers,
Dorothee Dähler & Yeliz Secerli

PS: This website is programmed by Quentin Creuzet!

Parallel-Parallel is a gallery of works by graphic designers that
a) have been postponed indefinitely,
b) will never be realized or published,
c) were published for an event that will never take place because of this damn virus.

We believe that graphic design plays with potential realities and with this current crisis we want to see what has been left, on pause, in your hands.

If you are a graphic designer and have been working on a project that fits this description please reach out to us via:
email@parallel-parallel.com

We are looking forward to hearing from you,
your fellow designers,
Dorothee Dähler & Yeliz Secerli

PS: This website is programmed by Quentin Creuzet!

Weltformat Magazine

Weltformat is an annual graphic design festival which takes place in Lucerne (CH). It was one of the rare events that were realized despite the virus in 2020. The newly launched Welformat magazine offers background information, this year’s theme was “Not (Yet) Canceled.” Sound familiar? The essays and projects were manifested, initiated and kick-started because of the pandemic. Read thoroughly, flip slowly, and enjoy a surprise parallel appearance in the end.
Buy it here

Intimations: Six Essays by Zadie Smith

We finally have our reward (thank you COVID19!) with Intimations, a collection of essays that tells us exactly what Zadie Smith has been thinking all this time! She walks us through her personal experience of the pandemic. She writes as a coping mechanism, as a place to hide. She looks into herself, then her people, and the people outside. She writes about the city she lives, loves and leaves (New York), and the rotten roots of the country and its ongoing bad behavior. When you finish it, you feel like you’ve undergone heart surgery; the heart aches but you’ve been given a second chance to live life with a new set of priorities.
Buy it here

What The Great Pandemic Novels Teach Us

In this article, Orhan Pamuk demonstrates the remarkably consistent ways in which humans throughout history have responded to fear. After extensive research for his new novel, Pamuk takes us on a journey through many of the most enjoyable pandemics in history; both fictional and true.
Read it here

What Are Parallel Universes?

In this unusual interview, Fred Alan Wolf, quantum physics specialist explains the concept of parallel universes so that even the interviewer begins to understand it! Wolf says that quantum physics explains many facts of physical life. Yet it is still a mystery to most experts which isn’t very reassuring. Perhaps they have it all figured out in another universe.
Read it here

Parallel Cards by Ryan Gander & Europa

Ryan Gander isn’t just the joker in the pack.
Look behind the poker-faced humor of these parallel cards (playing cards where both sides are the front) and you realize there is more depth to the concept. His perception of playing cards has taken on a journey of its own since he was a child and the aesthetics of their usage within this deck opens up a universe of new possibilities.
Get them here

The Third Policeman

In this essay, Ted Gioia explores (and delights in!) The Third Policeman—a novel by Flann O’Brien (the pen name of Irish author Brian O’Nolan). This surrealist crime novel, now regarded as a literary classic, remained unpublished until 1967, one year after his death (nobody appears to have made a crime novel out of this fact!) “A book that starts out with overtones of Crime and Punishment, says Giola, “soon takes on a flavor more akin to Alice in Wonderland.” Incidentally, you’ll be hard pushed to find a more enjoyable book cover design!
More here

Kuki Shūzō : Parallel Lines

A joy-read on Iki (粋/いき), a Japanese aesthetical concept which translates roughly as chic or stylish, but means so much more. The word was used in 19th-century Japan to define the endless charm of the geisha. Design is crucial for the manifestation of iki. These lines on parallel lines are drawn from the fourth chapter of Kuki Shūzō’s 1930 book Reflections on Japanese Taste —The Structure of iki (Tokyo: IwanamiShoten, 1930), brought to you by the Serving Library.
Download here

Weltformat Magazine

Weltformat is an annual graphic design festival which takes place in Lucerne (CH). It was one of the rare events that were realized despite the virus in 2020. The newly launched Welformat magazine offers background information, this year’s theme was “Not (Yet) Canceled.” Sound familiar? The essays and projects were manifested, initiated and kick-started because of the pandemic. Read thoroughly, flip slowly, and enjoy a surprise parallel appearance in the end.
Buy it here

Intimations: Six Essays by Zadie Smith

We finally have our reward (thank you COVID19!) with Intimations, a collection of essays that tells us exactly what Zadie Smith has been thinking all this time! She walks us through her personal experience of the pandemic. She writes as a coping mechanism, as a place to hide. She looks into herself, then her people, and the people outside. She writes about the city she lives, loves and leaves (New York), and the rotten roots of the country and its ongoing bad behavior. When you finish it, you feel like you’ve undergone heart surgery; the heart aches but you’ve been given a second chance to live life with a new set of priorities.
Buy it here

What The Great Pandemic Novels Teach Us

In this article, Orhan Pamuk demonstrates the remarkably consistent ways in which humans throughout history have responded to fear. After extensive research for his new novel, Pamuk takes us on a journey through many of the most enjoyable pandemics in history; both fictional and true.
Read it here

What Are Parallel Universes?

In this unusual interview, Fred Alan Wolf, quantum physics specialist explains the concept of parallel universes so that even the interviewer begins to understand it! Wolf says that quantum physics explains many facts of physical life. Yet it is still a mystery to most experts which isn’t very reassuring. Perhaps they have it all figured out in another universe.
Read it here

Parallel Cards by Ryan Gander & Europa

Ryan Gander isn’t just the joker in the pack.
Look behind the poker-faced humor of these parallel cards (playing cards where both sides are the front) and you realize there is more depth to the concept. His perception of playing cards has taken on a journey of its own since he was a child and the aesthetics of their usage within this deck opens up a universe of new possibilities.
Get them here

The Third Policeman

In this essay, Ted Gioia explores (and delights in!) The Third Policeman—a novel by Flann O’Brien (the pen name of Irish author Brian O’Nolan). This surrealist crime novel, now regarded as a literary classic, remained unpublished until 1967, one year after his death (nobody appears to have made a crime novel out of this fact!) “A book that starts out with overtones of Crime and Punishment, says Giola, “soon takes on a flavor more akin to Alice in Wonderland.” Incidentally, you’ll be hard pushed to find a more enjoyable book cover design!
More here

Kuki Shūzō : Parallel Lines

A joy-read on Iki (粋/いき), a Japanese aesthetical concept which translates roughly as chic or stylish, but means so much more. The word was used in 19th-century Japan to define the endless charm of the geisha. Design is crucial for the manifestation of iki. These lines on parallel lines are drawn from the fourth chapter of Kuki Shūzō’s 1930 book Reflections on Japanese Taste —The Structure of iki (Tokyo: IwanamiShoten, 1930), brought to you by the Serving Library.
Download here

Parallel-Parallel
Opening : June 3rd, 18:30pm at The ÖFF (St. Jakobstrasse 54)
Lecture: June 4th, 16:00
OffShore Studio’s Isabel Seiffert, Turbo’s Mothanna Hussein and Stoecklin & Wilson’s Melina Wilson will be giving presentations about their ‘ghost’ works. The lectures will be presented in English.
Ortolan: June 11th,16:00
Kaj Lehmann and Nicolas Schaltegger will run «Ortolan», a pop-up bar with special cocktails

After two years of collecting projects, and showcasing them online, Parallel-Parallel became an in person exhibition. By showing a selection of works from the website, some produced and some not (drawn directly on the wall) we aimed to examine the different states of the graphic design practice, in other words, the process of materialization of the design object. How do we talk about and present the ‘ghost’ works that never left our computers or that remained in our minds?

Read more
We are grateful for everyone who came to visit, who gave us their incredible space (Matthias Wyler and André Rothfuchs from Studio Sirup), who helped us install and draw (Coline Houtot), who wrote our introduction text (Andrea Salerno), who made ghost stickers for us (Experimental Jetset), who recorded our voice labels (Rhona Mühlebach), who shared so candidly and gracefully their ghost projects (Isabel Seifert, Melina Wilson), who made fantastic cocktails for our Finissage (Kaj Lehmann, Nicolas Schaltegger), while (@_thisislookah, @alpha_mi_, Flo Olomski) played the best music, who hosted us in their flat (Raphael Schoen), and of course all the designers who have been part of Parallel-Parallel. Looking forward to the parallel futures. 👻
ECAL Milano 2020
ECAL Milano 2020

This flier (and its derivatives including brochure, poster, banners, t-shirts, etc.) was designed for ECAL’s various exhibitions taking place in Milan during the Design Week. This was initially scheduled to take place from 21st to 26th of April 2020. The different exhibitions present the work of students and alumni from ECAL in collaboration with different brands and collaborators from around the world. After initially being postponed, the event has now been cancelled indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Designer(s):
Bilal Sebei, Lausanne (CH)
Client:
ECAL, Lausanne (CH)
Pod’ring

The culture and music festival “Pod’ring” takes place annually in Biel. This poster should actually be hanging on the streets at the moment, but unfortunately this year’s edition of the festival couldn’t take place as planned. We are currently working on a poster campaign that will take a different route throughout the city, so that the festival can still happen in some form. More information soon.

Designer(s):
Enjoy Stratford, Bern and Lucerne (CH)
Client:
Pod’ring, Biel (CH)
Rijksmuseum
Rijksmuseum
Rijksmuseum

Sleeping Dogs (Masterpiece)
Dessin created for the Rijksmuseum on the occasion of the Rijksstudio Design Award 2020, ‘Sleeping Dogs’ is a pattern design based on, and featuring every dog sleeping peacefully through the Rijksmuseum collection for all eternity. Every year, an invitation to ‘Create my own Masterpiece’ and win €7.500 appears in my inbox.

Designer(s):
Susan van Veen, Amsterdam (NL)
Client:
Self-initiated
FINALE 2020
FINALE 2020

This poster promotes the graduation ceremony 2020, an exhibition that was titled “Finale.” The sad story is, that it would be my graduation ceremony. I was the winner of the competition. The brief was as follows: “The term “finale” describes the last part of a musical work, a final sprint in sports or generally the climax or glamorous completion of something. So let’s consider “finale” as the end point a previous action. A colorful program poster must be designed. The primary design elements are font and color. The term “finale” has to be prioritized.

Poster: F4
Flyer: A2 foldable to A5

Designer(s):
Tim Buser, Basel (CH)
Client:
The School of Basel, Basel (CH)
Antwerp Art Week
Antwerp Art Week
Antwerp Art Week
Antwerp Art Week

Antwerp Art is a non-profit organization that connects the most relevant actors in the contemporary art scene of Antwerp, from established galleries and museums to upcoming initiatives. The identity is based on dynamic lines that make the words AA (Antwerp Art) and AAW (Antwerp Art Weekend). These lines are used to build a dynamic system that scales to different sizes and forms. This serves to emphasise the supportive quality that Antwerp Art provides towards these institutes.

Read more
Antwerp Art Weekend is a yearly event that combines exciting programmes, talks, performances, book presentations and parties.
Designer(s):
Vrints-Klosteren, Antwerp (BE)
Client:
Antwerp Art Week, Antwerp (BE)
Meta Marathon
Meta Marathon

Meta Marathon’s 2020 edition revolved around “Cyborgs.” Visitors would have been able to experience an array of cultural performances, lectures, installations and workshops for 42 hours, non-stop. The festival at NRW Forum Düsseldorf, scheduled for May 22–24 was cancelled.

Read more
The essence of the identity is one of the crucial differences between machine and human. While human beings emit heat naturally, the temperature of metallic machines heavily depends on their surroundings. By utiliting the style of thermal imaging devices the union of human and machine as cyborg could be visualised in different ways, from slight body modifications to whole external limbs…

Both festival branding and the website were finished (programmed by ungroup group, Berlin (DE)) and the digital countdown had started as well.

Videos:
Speaker-Animation
Website

Designer(s):
Studio Es, Vienna (AU)
Client:
Meta Marathon, (AU)
RKC

The RKC (Rocking Chair Vevey) was hoping to re-open their concert room after a month and half of the coronavirus pandemic. But unfortunately, all the concerts had to be canceled. The posters have been printed at Uldry, and hung on the streets. Because of that, the RKC organized a small competition in which they offered one of the posters to anyone who photographed it in town.

Designer(s):
Giliane Cachin, Zurich (CH)
Client:
The RKC, Vevey (CH)
#Mygration

This is a poster for #Mygration Germany Festival. This event was scheduled for mid March 2020 and was postponed because of the corona virus. The goal of this project was to create more spaces for people with migration backgrounds to openly discuss, exchange and tell their own narratives—raising awareness both online and offline. The 2-day festival was going to bring individuals from different races, generations, classes, beliefs, and genders together to share stories. #Mygration aims to empower through the shared feeling of “the other” and to replace it with a sense of belonging; creating a space where diversity unites.

Designer(s):
Jihee Lee, Hamburg (DE), Seoul (KR)
Client:
#Mygration Germany Festival, Berlin (DE)
Parallel-Parallel
Opening : June 3rd, 18:30pm at The ÖFF (St. Jakobstrasse 54)
Lecture: June 4th, 16:00
OffShore Studio’s Isabel Seiffert, Turbo’s Mothanna Hussein and Stoecklin & Wilson’s Melina Wilson will be giving presentations about their ‘ghost’ works. The lectures will be presented in English.
Ortolan: June 11th,16:00
Kaj Lehmann and Nicolas Schaltegger will run «Ortolan», a pop-up bar with special cocktails

After two years of collecting projects, and showcasing them online, Parallel-Parallel became an in person exhibition. By showing a selection of works from the website, some produced and some not (drawn directly on the wall) we aimed to examine the different states of the graphic design practice, in other words, the process of materialization of the design object. How do we talk about and present the ‘ghost’ works that never left our computers or that remained in our minds?

Read more
We are grateful for everyone who came to visit, who gave us their incredible space (Matthias Wyler and André Rothfuchs from Studio Sirup), who helped us install and draw (Coline Houtot), who wrote our introduction text (Andrea Salerno), who made ghost stickers for us (Experimental Jetset), who recorded our voice labels (Rhona Mühlebach), who shared so candidly and gracefully their ghost projects (Isabel Seifert, Melina Wilson), who made fantastic cocktails for our Finissage (Kaj Lehmann, Nicolas Schaltegger), while (@_thisislookah, @alpha_mi_, Flo Olomski) played the best music, who hosted us in their flat (Raphael Schoen), and of course all the designers who have been part of Parallel-Parallel. Looking forward to the parallel futures. 👻
ECAL Milano 2020
ECAL Milano 2020

This flier (and its derivatives including brochure, poster, banners, t-shirts, etc.) was designed for ECAL’s various exhibitions taking place in Milan during the Design Week. This was initially scheduled to take place from 21st to 26th of April 2020. The different exhibitions present the work of students and alumni from ECAL in collaboration with different brands and collaborators from around the world. After initially being postponed, the event has now been cancelled indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Designer(s):
Bilal Sebei, Lausanne (CH)
Client:
ECAL, Lausanne (CH)
Pod’ring

The culture and music festival “Pod’ring” takes place annually in Biel. This poster should actually be hanging on the streets at the moment, but unfortunately this year’s edition of the festival couldn’t take place as planned. We are currently working on a poster campaign that will take a different route throughout the city, so that the festival can still happen in some form. More information soon.

Designer(s):
Enjoy Stratford, Bern and Lucerne (CH)
Client:
Pod’ring, Biel (CH)
Rijksmuseum
Rijksmuseum
Rijksmuseum

Sleeping Dogs (Masterpiece)
Dessin created for the Rijksmuseum on the occasion of the Rijksstudio Design Award 2020, ‘Sleeping Dogs’ is a pattern design based on, and featuring every dog sleeping peacefully through the Rijksmuseum collection for all eternity. Every year, an invitation to ‘Create my own Masterpiece’ and win €7.500 appears in my inbox.

Designer(s):
Susan van Veen, Amsterdam (NL)
Client:
Self-initiated
FINALE 2020
FINALE 2020

This poster promotes the graduation ceremony 2020, an exhibition that was titled “Finale.” The sad story is, that it would be my graduation ceremony. I was the winner of the competition. The brief was as follows: “The term “finale” describes the last part of a musical work, a final sprint in sports or generally the climax or glamorous completion of something. So let’s consider “finale” as the end point a previous action. A colorful program poster must be designed. The primary design elements are font and color. The term “finale” has to be prioritized.

Poster: F4
Flyer: A2 foldable to A5

Designer(s):
Tim Buser, Basel (CH)
Client:
The School of Basel, Basel (CH)
Antwerp Art Week
Antwerp Art Week
Antwerp Art Week
Antwerp Art Week

Antwerp Art is a non-profit organization that connects the most relevant actors in the contemporary art scene of Antwerp, from established galleries and museums to upcoming initiatives. The identity is based on dynamic lines that make the words AA (Antwerp Art) and AAW (Antwerp Art Weekend). These lines are used to build a dynamic system that scales to different sizes and forms. This serves to emphasise the supportive quality that Antwerp Art provides towards these institutes.

Read more
Antwerp Art Weekend is a yearly event that combines exciting programmes, talks, performances, book presentations and parties.
Designer(s):
Vrints-Klosteren, Antwerp (BE)
Client:
Antwerp Art Week, Antwerp (BE)
Meta Marathon
Meta Marathon

Meta Marathon’s 2020 edition revolved around “Cyborgs.” Visitors would have been able to experience an array of cultural performances, lectures, installations and workshops for 42 hours, non-stop. The festival at NRW Forum Düsseldorf, scheduled for May 22–24 was cancelled.

Read more
The essence of the identity is one of the crucial differences between machine and human. While human beings emit heat naturally, the temperature of metallic machines heavily depends on their surroundings. By utiliting the style of thermal imaging devices the union of human and machine as cyborg could be visualised in different ways, from slight body modifications to whole external limbs…

Both festival branding and the website were finished (programmed by ungroup group, Berlin (DE)) and the digital countdown had started as well.

Videos:
Speaker-Animation
Website

Designer(s):
Studio Es, Vienna (AU)
Client:
Meta Marathon, (AU)
RKC

The RKC (Rocking Chair Vevey) was hoping to re-open their concert room after a month and half of the coronavirus pandemic. But unfortunately, all the concerts had to be canceled. The posters have been printed at Uldry, and hung on the streets. Because of that, the RKC organized a small competition in which they offered one of the posters to anyone who photographed it in town.

Designer(s):
Giliane Cachin, Zurich (CH)
Client:
The RKC, Vevey (CH)
#Mygration

This is a poster for #Mygration Germany Festival. This event was scheduled for mid March 2020 and was postponed because of the corona virus. The goal of this project was to create more spaces for people with migration backgrounds to openly discuss, exchange and tell their own narratives—raising awareness both online and offline. The 2-day festival was going to bring individuals from different races, generations, classes, beliefs, and genders together to share stories. #Mygration aims to empower through the shared feeling of “the other” and to replace it with a sense of belonging; creating a space where diversity unites.

Designer(s):
Jihee Lee, Hamburg (DE), Seoul (KR)
Client:
#Mygration Germany Festival, Berlin (DE)