The Nation of Föhn: a Public Brand Manifesto
“In early 2050, a mountaineer vanished into the depths of the Alps. After being presumed dead, he turned up in a small tavern at the tip of southern Germany in perfect health. His own accounts describe how months earlier he had been lost and near-death when he stumbled upon a beautiful mountainside nation: Föhn. There, he was graciously taken in by its citizens and nursed back to health. He stayed for months to learn about Föhn and its people—only to discover that its existence had been mysteriously wiped from the map between World Wars. His only keepsake from the city—this book, detailing the nation’s history, government, language, culture, currency, transit system, and more. Despite the wealth of information provided by the text, it did little to help researchers and other hikers locate the lost city, which seemed to slip back into the bright whites and blues of its mountainous sanctum…”
An exercise in design fiction.
This project was initially created during my undergrad.
A worldbuilding research framework and corresponding assignment prompt asked students to create a fictional “nation” as documented in the form of a historical guidebook, manifesto, or style guide. The documentation was to serve as an archive of an array of attributes and artifacts from a made-up nation, including history, psychology, language, and national branding. Ultimately, my final experimental publication manifested as a work of design fiction. It utilizes research, writing, illustration, image-making, and design to imagine a narrative about the peaceful, hidden, and fictional mountain nation of Föhn.
The original project was selected by The Society of Typographic Arts as one of the 100 best examples of graphic design in 2019. After a massive overhaul, it was also incorporated into a larger worldbuilding and design futures exhibit as part of TypeForce ’20—just before COVID-19 caused massive shutdowns.
Typeforce installation.
My former professor, Heather Snyder Quinn, who lead me through the initial project submitted my work to TypeForce on a whim alongside that of two of my friends: Miguel Perez and Claire Rosas. Much to our delight, we made the cut.
As a result, us three had to update and overhaul our old ‘nation’ books for physical print (thanks, Blurb). We also have to physically realize some of the ‘artifacts’ featured within the books for the exhibition and to bring our made-up nations to life.
We were gifted a tricky nook to install our work in. Prototyping and generating additional display pieces ensued.
