With the update of the alter. website, the main visual and VI (Visual Identity) have been unveiled. The perpendicular vertical and horizontal lines adopted in the VI are used across various settings—from the venue layout to social media—while being designed with flexibility, transforming freely according to the medium. What philosophy guided the creation of this VI that represents alter., a new kind of design event? Through an interview with Osamu Sakuma (Rondade), who serves as Creative Director, we uncover the process behind the birth of this visual identity.
—The alter. VI unveiled this time is remarkably simple, consisting of vertical and horizontal lines, and it transforms according to the media and application, whether on the website or social media. How was this VI designed?
As we set out to communicate the alter. event, we naturally needed to create a logo. But rather than just thinking about the logo in isolation, I wanted to create an experience where the dots would connect—spanning the website and venue layout—ultimately drawing all the lines together at the venue itself.
The first thing I considered was the venue. The Mitsui Hall in Nihonbashi, which hosts alter., is a space used for various events like concerts and exhibitions, and the space itself doesn’t have an overwhelmingly strong character. To develop a new event like alter. in such a venue, I felt we needed a mechanism that could effectively “ignore” the existing walls and decorations.
How could we create a space while setting aside the impressions of the existing building? That’s when I focused on the “floor.” Since changing the impression of the floor can dramatically transform the perception of a space, we considered covering the entire venue with a bright blue floor. I thought that alone could shift people’s awareness of the space and create a situation where something new was happening on that blue floor.
—Why blue? Depending on how you look at it, it could seem like a very strong statement. In fact, during meetings with the secretariat and committee members, there were skeptical opinions.
Pushback and debate aren’t bad things. A bright blue floor might seem too strong in its character, but I believe that by introducing a contrast like blue, the products on display would stand out. Of course, if we’d gone with a black or gray floor, there wouldn’t have been any resistance, but personally, I dislike situations where things just blend in passively. That said, it’s not about being outlandish—rather, creating a situation that stands apart while blending in can ultimately generate a fresher experience.
On top of that, our initial plan also considered compressing the space by lowering the grid-pattern lighting in the venue as much as possible. Due to equipment constraints, this proved difficult to realize, but the idea was that by creating a space sandwiched between the blue floor and grid lighting, we could generate a space detached from the existing venue infrastructure.
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Vertical and horizontal lines are incorporated as common elements throughout alter.’s visuals.
—So rather than starting with a logo, you began by thinking about the space and proceeded to design the VI as a system.
The protagonists of alter. are, after all, the creators, so I didn’t want to define the event by immediately creating a logo. However, it’s also true that alter. itself is a newly launched event and platform, and since the creators are presenting new products for this event, we don’t know what will emerge. With alter. in particular, diverse creators are participating as a collective with a prototyping mindset, so there’s no uniformity in the products being exhibited.
To respond to the creators’ work, I felt we first needed something like a large canvas, and without that, we wouldn’t be able to embrace the newness the creators bring. That’s why the starting point was thinking about what kind of vessel to create through the venue’s configuration.
—alter. itself doesn’t prescribe any particular genre or aesthetic, and has a strong character as a new format or platform.
alter. isn’t simply a counter to existing design events, and the participating creators are trying to create something that doesn’t yet exist, so we won’t know what kind of occasion will emerge until it unfolds. In a sense, I wanted to create a space where products could resonate together on site, without being pulled by the creators’ previous work.
—As a result, the alter. VI is remarkably simple. How do the vertical and horizontal lines that compose the VI connect with the venue layout?
On the alter. website, the venue scene is displayed first, then a horizontal line is drawn, followed by a vertical line. The horizontal line functions like a vessel, drawing a new horizon, and when the vertical line enters and intersects to form a cross, you could say various entities connect in a collective way—or alternatively, it creates a kind of division.
These lines are also reflected in the venue layout, with vertical and horizontal lines expressed through lighting not only in the exhibition space but also in the spaces leading up to the venue. These lines are also incorporated into images of projects and creators posted on social media, creating a state where the venue, participants, and web are all connected.
This time, we’ve established the very method and presence of these lines as the VI, and there is no fixed key visual or logo. After all, what kind of event alter. will become is unknown, and if we created a logo with a fixed form, the answer would be predetermined as well. What alter. is doing is something where the answer becomes clear afterward, so I hope this VI functions as a kind of guideline.
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The visuals of flickering vertical and horizontal lines are not computer-generated but actually photographed.
—Regarding the establishment of the logo and main visual, there were numerous discussions within the secretariat. Not just the blue floor, but there was considerable pushback against many of the proposals you presented. Yet through that process, it seems the positioning of alter. became more defined.
I felt my role was also to shake up the process. Honestly, if it were just about designing a logo or planning a venue, there are people who could do it better. If I’m going to be involved, I want to value creating constant dialogue.
In exhibition events like this, it’s common to display works beautifully in white cube spaces, but as media and devices change and the very act and speed of viewing evolves, I feel the frame of the white cube itself is becoming outdated. “Viewing” has become too framed, creating a situation where everyone seems to be looking but isn’t really looking, seems to be engaging but isn’t really engaging. In that case, I think we don’t need to display things beautifully—sometimes making things somewhat difficult to see might make people view things more consciously.
Especially recently, there are many events themed around design and art, but if they can’t present something new or engage the viewer, they end up being fit into existing frames, and then people refuse to truly see. I believe that by making somewhat extreme interventions, viewers will step in more proactively.
So in conducting the creative direction for alter., I thought we should present something that doesn’t just get an easy “nice” from everyone, but rather sparks debate. Of course, saying “there’s no main visual” or “there’s no logo” might cause confusion and inconvenience, but I think that very process is what matters.
—Discrepancies and noise can make things conscious for the first time.
If we simply adopt methods that everyone already knows and understands, no newness or questions emerge, and there would be no point in doing it. So rather than proceeding quickly like a tennis rally, I think we need to digest various questions one by one as we think things through. alter. isn’t something that ends after this year—it will continue, so I hope it carries forward next year and beyond based on this year’s process.
Exhibition events are also sites of communication with viewers, and in a sense, they have aspects of the service industry. It’s not just about displaying works—what’s important is that visitors take something away with them. Of course, that doesn’t just mean buying works; if we don’t draw out some kind of expression, there’s no point in holding the event. People often say “it was good” about events and exhibitions, but sometimes that doesn’t sound like a compliment. If something is truly good, truly amazing, there must be elements you don’t understand mixed in. I hope that by adopting new ways of thinking not only in the products and presentations on display, but also in the VI and visuals, alter. can present alternative standards.