The eleventh edition of Graphic Days, the first festival dedicated to Italian and international visual and social design, is coming to Turin from 15 to 25 October and will be held for the first time it the Gruppo Building Construction Site
An annual event that highlights visual communication, highlighting the latest trends in international visual and social design and showcasing the most cutting-edge creative practices.
Over 60 international guests, 12 exhibitions, 7 talks, 6 workshops for adults, 3 tips & tricks, 8 workshops for children, performances, DJ sets, a market show, live printing, portfolio reviews, and activities for schools and families aim to disseminate the value of visual design, engaging with professionals on the one hand and with the local community and the general public on the other.
The theme of this year’s edition is DISORDER: “The concept of DISORDER,” emphasise the festival’s creative directors, Ilaria Reposo and Fabio Guida, “is not meant to imply chaos, but rather a generative condition and a space of possibility that opens up new perspectives, challenging systems and hierarchies and fostering the development of open and dynamic models.”
Once again this year, the festival is changing venue, relocating to a new site: the construction sites of Gruppo Building in the Barriera di Milano district of Turin, a multi-ethnic neighbourhood that is constantly evolving.
EXHIBITIONS
A defining feature of the Graphic Days festival is its comprehensive exhibition programme, which this year comprises 12 exhibitions. These will alternate between digital, experimental and highly innovative content and posters, fanzines and analogue communication tools, offering a 360-degree overview of the concept of disorder. Here are some highlights:
The Humanism of Data presents the original works of Giorgia Lupi: an internationally renowned information designer, nominated for the ADI Compasso d’Oro in 2025, whose works are exhibited worldwide and feature in the permanent collections of the MOMA.
Never ever be predictable is dedicated to the work of the renowned Spanish art director and designer Quim Marin, featuring a selection of works created in Barcelona, Chile, Rome and Tokyo.
Posters take centre stage in the exhibition Nnewschøøl of pø5ter, organised in collaboration with the Polish Graphic Design Association: a showcase of the latest posters from the Polish clubbing scene and the independent graphic design scene.
In Saluti e Baci, curated by Daniele Catalli, posters and postcards – as well as boarding passes – become a means of addressing certain contemporary issues: California burns every summer, Venice is sinking, Bali is suffocating under the weight of tourism, and an entire continent of plastic is floating in the Pacific.
As part of the programme, the Eyes On section returns, featuring a different foreign country each year to showcase its history and values through graphic design. Switzerland will take centre stage at the 2026 edition: Between Type and Image presents a selection of posters and animated works by Erich Brechbühl; the Weltformat exhibition features a selection of works by emerging and lesser-known Swiss designers, curated by the festival of the same name; also on display is a selection of books from the Most Beautiful Swiss Books award, alongside a presentation of works by 10 Swiss design studios.
The international perspective continues with a focus on Korea: one hundred years on from Hangeul Day (한글날, 1926), the exhibition 혼돈 HONDON – The Korean Dis-order. A focus on the history of Hangeul recounts the birth of Hangeul, a radical act of design created to bring order to a Korea where Chinese characters excluded most people from writing.
THE GUESTS
The programme of events features over 60 guests from the international scene. Here are the top 10.
Erik Kessels: Dutch artist, curator and communication designer, creative partner at the KesselsKramer studio since 1996.
Verònica Fuerte: founder and creative director of Hey, an independent design studio established in Barcelona almost twenty years ago.
Quim Marín: founded the renowned Quim Marín Studio in Barcelona in 2014. He has given lectures and workshops all over the world.
YONK: a Dutch 3D animation studio specialising in Virtual Reality sculpture.
Johanna Jaskowska: a Franco-Polish visual artist and creative who redefines the concepts of beauty and identity through a speculative use of technology.
Felix Pfäffli: a Swiss designer and lecturer, founder of Studio Feixen in 2009 and admitted to the Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI) in 2013 as its youngest ever member.
Erich Brechbuhl: a Lucerne-based graphic designer whose work spans typography, image creation and experimentation, whilst keeping the poster at the heart of his design practice.
Henningh Wagenbreth: a renowned German graphic designer whose multidisciplinary practice spans illustration, graphic design, typography and the visual arts.
Ksawery Komputery: a Polish studio operating at the intersection of art, technology and digital experimentation, led by new media artist Ksawery Kirklewski.
Nerdo: a Turin-based creative studio that combines art direction and production.
Every year, Graphic Days presents a major programme of events that blend analogue and digital content. The 2026 edition will feature seven conferences covering topics ranging from cross-disciplinary collaboration to digital experimentation, from poster design and illustration to motion graphics and animation, exploring artificial intelligence and new tools. In addition, there will be six workshops led by Yonk, Henning Wagenbreth, Cristina Tarquini, Patryk Hardziej, Julia Schimautz and Print Club Torino; and, new for this year, three Tips & Tricks sessions offering the chance to engage in one-to-one discussions with some of the festival’s guests: Johanna Jaskowska, Ksawery Komputery and Emanuele Colombo and to share approaches, tools and little tricks of the trade.
Alongside the activities for industry professionals, the weekend will feature performances, musical events and activities for children; furthermore, the festival is open to schools (from primary level through to university) with a varied programme of guided tours, workshops and talks.
Furthermore, Brief me up returns to the festival for the second year running: an event organised by IKIGAI MEDIA that applies the format of a television talent show – modelled on MasterChef – to the world of graphic design.
Finally, the festival’s activities also extend across the city to over 20 different venues: on 22 and 23 October, visitors will be able to discover the eclectic nature of Turin’s creative scene through the In the City programme of events, organised in collaboration with local communications agencies, design studios and various organisations active in the fields of visual and social design.
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