Context

XPOSED is a queer film festival in Berlin, celebrated for politically engaged and experimental film curation. For its 19th edition and over the course of 1.5 months, I volunteered to redesign the festival’s booklet. I also took up the print order for booklet and posters and eventually helped out uploading their films to their WordPress site.

While XPOSED didn’t explicitly identify issues with their previous booklet, I recognized significant opportunities to enhance accessibility, clarity of structure, and visual consistency.

Decisions & Results

1. Typography: in addition to choosing new fonts that work well together while respecting the various languages requirments, I developed a structured typography system based on a 10px baseline grid, creating harmonious font sizes, consistent line heights, and generous spacing aligned precisely with images. This significantly improved readability and accessibility.
2. Structure & Navigation: I reorganized the content structure to clearly distinguish categories: I Implemented secondary colors for Film and Workshop Pages, to differentiate event days—Saturday (watermelon red) and Sunday (green)—as reflected in the timetable overview. And for Informational Pages, ‍I grouped them together at the front of the booklet, and used primary colors, insuring a clear navigation.‍
3. Layout: Enhancing typography and implementing a modular grid already led to a more balanced and visually appealing layout. Increased spacing between images also improved clarity. The most challenging aspect was accommodating 5–6 short films clearly and cohesively on a single page to avoid extra costs.

For before/after images, scroll below.

Outcomes & Learnings

• I coordinated and facilitated the logistics of print production and content upload to guarantee that all materials were received on time for the festival launch.
• The XPOSED team was very happy with the final product, and the new booklet was well-received by the public.
• Working within XPOSED’s flat-hierarchy collective was a very interesting and rewarding, I was able to practice how to make collaborative, art sensitive decisions.