DesignBlok in a New Light: Introducing Our New Visual Identity by Permanent Office
27. 3. 2026
Prague International Design Festival DesignBlok enters its twenty-eighth year with a brand-new graphic and visual system. The identity emerged from a closed competition organized by the festival in collaboration with independent experts. Permanent Office has been named the lead studio for the new logo and graphic system for the upcoming editions.
"After a quarter-century of intensive development, DesignBlok deserved a new identity and a comprehensive visual representation system. Together with my colleague Štěpán Šuster, we invited six studios—both emerging and established—to a closed competition. The core requirement was to find a functional solution to bridge the physical and digital presentations of the festival, our regular exhibition concepts and sub-brands, as well as unique international projects and year-round activities, which continue to grow. We were open to both evolution and complete revolution," explains Patrik Florián, Head of Communications and Marketing for DesignBlok. He adds: "The amount of inspiration brought by the competition was truly refreshing, and for that, all participating studios deserve our great thanks. The winning proposal from Permanent Office introduces a functional brand architecture for DesignBlok, encompassing the entire ecosystem that has grown around the festival over the past three decades. Beyond this framework, it promises an original take on each year's festival theme, reflected in the visuals and color palette. Motion design also becomes a significant element in our communication, appearing in online channels and on digital displays at festival locations and throughout Prague."
The winning design was chosen by members of the DesignBlok organizing team alongside independent experts: Aleš Najbrt (founder of Studio Najbrt) and David Řezníček (DesignBlok co-founder and owner of Konsepti) as members of the DesignBlok Advisory Board, as well as graphic design theorists Kristýna Fišerová and Lukáš Pilka.
"Given DesignBlok’s scale, history, and uniqueness, this collaboration is a profoundly positive challenge for us. In the new identity, we primarily wanted to reflect playfulness, creativity, and a relaxed spirit—which we perceive as the core DNA of the festival. Compared to the previous identity, we are introducing a system where individual elements are part of a complex whole and complement each other. The logo develops the core visual element of an infinite loop, reflecting the central festival claim ‘You can’t escape design’ and communicating the omnipresence of design in everyday life. Simultaneously, the logo serves as a carrier for various typographic messages, visual elements, or DesignBlok sub-brands themselves. At other times, it functions as a standalone graphic tool. A freer dynamic will also carry over into the photographic editorials for specific thematic editions," says graphic designer Jiří Mocek on behalf of Permanent Office.
In addition to the core graphic elements of blocks and stripes, the identity utilizes the FK Grotesk Neue and FK Roman Standard fonts from the Czech type foundry Florian Karsten, designed by typographer Květoslav Bartoš. The new visual identity is also reflected in the official change of the brand's spelling to DesignBlok, with capital D and B.
The visuals for the twenty-eighth edition, themed Light, will be created by the talented young photographer Viktorie Macánová. Alongside the visual identity, a new website is being developed in collaboration with Studio Trau. It will offer a modern and functional environment to help visitors navigate the extensive festival program and provide a clear overview of main exhibitions, displays, and exhibitors across Prague.
We look forward to this new chapter and can't wait for you to see our new graphic design and visuals come to life in the streets of Prague. This year’s DesignBlok will take place from October 6 to 11, 2026, at the Trade Fair Palace (National Gallery Prague), Prague Castle, and the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague. Tickets are available for purchase here.
