In 2011, the London-based curator Beatrice Galilee invited the design studio Zak Group—also based in London—to contribute a visual identity for the third edition of the Lisbon Architecture Triennale (12 September to 15 December 2013). Titled Closer, Closer, the Triennale has considered the condition in which architecture is practiced and the way it is framed, expressed and understood today through a diverse, participatory programme. In a recent interview, Galilee remarked the resulting design collaboration with Zak Group resulted in “not only to the end of an idea but to the development of a process” and “helped to shape the curatorial idea” of Close, Closer. The result is an ambitious identity presented in print material, signage, a website and an e-book publishing platform that has accompanied the three month Triennale program.

Taking an investigative approach, Zak Group eschewed conventional modes of representation such as a singular logo and sought ways for the public to be the generative force in the visual identity of the Triennale, including the online platformclose-closer.com. The multilingual website has provided a platform for the curators of Close, Closer to pose a series of questions related to architecture’s role in society. Visitors from Lisbon and beyond are able to populate the site with thousands of responses, which in turn form the statements of the Triennale’s crowd-sourced visual identity, returning public statements to the public square. Joseph Grima, a Milan-based architect, editor and curator, said of the outcome: “Zak Group’s work for Close, Closer resulted in a spontaneous and very rigorous identity that didn’t take itself too seriously, which conveyed the potential of everything in the city becoming an actor, becoming alive and speaking to you as you move through the city.”