Planeta Lem is a new center for literature and language that will be established in Krakow, Poland in the upcoming years, founded and run by the cultural institution Krakowskie Biuro Festiwalowe. The Center will be dedicated to the work of the famous Polish science fiction writer Stanislaw Lem – creator of Solaris. In Lem’s books, the author explores philosophical topics, speculating on technology, the nature of intelligence, and life on other planets. With the help of Lem’s timeless analyses and contemporary scientific reflection on language and communication, Planet Lem will contribute to building an open and conscious society in the changing world.
A unique concept allows for a constantly evolving visual identity that honors author Lem’s view on the changing world
The center aims to respond to the constantly evolving world; including trends in communication, literature and language, and new technologies. Gabriela Baka with Łukasz Podolak created a variable and animated visual identity concept – which won the competition set by KBF – that reflects together with the center of these above-mentioned topics. The unique aspect of the concept and the original assignment given to the designers was to create a tool that would allow the Center to co-create the identification, and thus it would never lose its freshness or topicality.
“Cross the boundaries of what is known” – was the sentence that led the design process toward creating a narrative identity that would be constantly evolving. The aim of the concept is to take the viewer, like Lem in his books, on journeys through unknown dimensions and hitherto undiscovered worlds. Planet Lem’s identity is built of cohesive, monochrome elements that are continually in motion – evolving and expanding through time and space. A glimpse of this movement was captured in the logo, while a modular grid system, abstract visualizations of exceeded dimensions, and a fleeting raster follow the same mysterious, ambiguous, open, and changeable concept.
