Black Spring Graphics Studio

Designing among permeable practices: Notes on Igual que Long Beach

The visual materials for Igual que Long Beach emerged from a collaborative process. The central image—used for posters, postcards, Instagram posts, and stories—was provided directly by the artists: an extension of their practice and a gesture of involvement even beyond the exhibition setup.

For this project, we used our open-source design system EXTRA (soon available publicly), conceived to support cultural initiatives through reusable, minimal layouts. Combined with Apfel Grotesk, a typeface designed by Luigi Gorlero, this structure supported a visual language that is both accessible and formally rigorous, aligned with the needs of artist-run and independent spaces.

In this context, graphic design became part of the exhibition itself. Printed matter, digital layouts, and documentation posts were not just supports—they became tools of proximity, attention, and critical presence.

Working within these practices as a designer and photographer allowed me to engage intellectually with the exhibition process and its relational foundations.

Thanks to Tramandars for producing the full-color printed supports (poster and postcard), and to Vetro Italia S.R.L. for supporting the black-and-white version.
Gratitude to everyone who took part in different ways.

Igual que Long Beach, the first duo exhibition in Italy by Darya Diamond and Esther Gatón, curated by Christian Taranto for Tramandars, was hosted at Pu-téca, a votive kiosk for contemporary art in Borgo Casamale (Somma Vesuviana, Naples), and remained on view until July 15, 2025. teca

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