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InspirationGraphic Design

Pentagram creates visual identity for Barbican's Mangasia: Wonderlands of Asian Comics

The Barbican’s Mangasia: Wonderlands of Asian Comics is the largest ever exhibition of original artworks from Asian comics – and the first to present an overview of Asian comic history. Curated by Paul Gravett, the show highlights key creators, characters, magazines, graphic novels and multimedia, as well as the creative processes that underlie their production.

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Red wall featuring Mangasia exhibition title and black line-drawn comic-style illustrations of Asian characters and scenes in a gallery space

For its visual identity, exhibition design and digital design, it called upon Pentagram partners Marina Willer, Luke Powell and Jody Hudson-Powell as well as former partner, William Russell.

The graphic system that Marina Willer devised for the exhibition is inspired by the dynamic storytelling devices associated with Manga comics: the iconic storyboards, composed of panels that vary radically in angle, size and scale; and cinematic framing, achieved through a rapid alternation between long shots and close-ups, montages and scene changes.

These devices heighten the illusion of moving images, guiding the reader across the terrain of the comic’s visuals and text. Willer's graphics provide the exhibition’s different sections with distinguishable identities – bringing to life the theme of each, as well as guiding visitors through the space.

The structure William Russell designed to house the travelling exhibition is constructed using a durable paper material, paying tribute to the region’s longstanding paper-craft tradition. Adorned with Willer's Manga-inspired supergraphics, the paper walls envelop visitors in an immersive comic book experience.

The Barbican also commissioned Jody Hudson-Powell and Luke Powell to create a special motion-controlled digital installation, in collaboration with venerated Mecha designer Kawamori Shoji. Imagining a not-so-distant future in which supersized robots are used for the construction of cities, the team created a building-sized robot named ‘Mechasobi’, Japanese for robot play.

Friendly and non-threatening at first glance, Mechasobi becomes chaotic and potentially lethal once control is turned over to the exhibition's visitors. A special Pentagram feature, The Making of Mechasobi, is coming soon.

All images courtesy of Pentagram

Red and black banner for Mangasia: Wonderlands of Asian Comics exhibition hanging between two ornamental stone columns at the Barbican, displaying stylised faces in Manga-inspired design
Red corridor with angular supergraphics and informational panels designed by Pentagram for the Mangasia exhibition at the Barbican
Red exhibition wall with black manga-style illustrations overhead and information panels for Mappare Mangasia at the Barbican's Mangasia exhibition
Exhibition corridor with bright yellow walls featuring "Fables & Folklore" section signage, manga-inspired artwork on ceiling, and display panels lining the walkway
A large-scale colourful character sculpture with black hair and orange skin stands in a gallery space as two visitors view it from a distance
Exhibition display featuring geometric black panels and white walls with text sections exploring 19th and early 20th century Asian comics history, designed by Pentagram for the Barbican's Mangasia exhibition
Exhibition signage for Mangasia displaying section five with pink and black panels featuring Manga-inspired graphics and textual information beside a textured paper wall
Visitor in silhouette interacting with a large projection screen displaying a green robot character in an urban environment inside the Barbican's Mangasia exhibition space
Gallery entrance with Pentagram's red Mangasia exhibition signage featuring dynamic manga-inspired graphics and directional information panels
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