The Prelude Exhibition of The First Shanghai Graphic Design Biennale – TopoPoster: International Poster Design Exhibition, after six months (June – December, 2025) of planning and preparation, was successfully held from December 13 to December 22, 2025. As one of the larger-scale exhibitions in recent years featuring an international selection of works in China, it showcased over 300 representative poster designs from 153 influential contemporary designers and studios active in the forefront of the field across 28 countries.

Weltformat — How to start things

This poster started out as an exploration and led us to build a custom type distortion tool in Processing. The grid structures and variations tie back to the theme “how to start things”. The tool allows for endless iterations, turning each version into a unique starting point. What begins as a system quickly becomes a series of possibilities — from static compositions to moving images — capturing the energy of ideas taking shape.

Studio Dumbar/DEPT®

Design: Stan Haanappel
Coding/motion: Sander Sturing