A Red Frame Connects a Citywide Design Festival

A festival can bring many different designers and their work together. But its own design does not have to cover everything with decoration. Pentagram used a simple red frame for London Design Festival 2026. The frame connects the festival's materials while leaving room for other people's work. Red stays important because it is a lasting part of the festival. The 24th edition ran for nine days in September 2026.

The festival's name appears in white across three lines on red. A frame cuts through the middle of the name and splits some letters. The main arrangement stays the same across the different designs. Small dates sit below the name to show when the festival happens. A shorter name, LDF26, works when there is less room. These parts help the design stay familiar at different sizes.

The same idea moves between phone screens, posters, and large station adverts. On Instagram, the frame sits over pictures of the designers' work. A stage screen shows the festival name at two sizes together. One version is large and partly cut, while another appears whole. This lets the design change without losing the parts people recognise. The frame can also work without a picture inside it.

The printed festival book uses a red case around a white cover. A word pressed into the case gives its surface a shape. Inside a gallery, a real doorway becomes part of the frame idea. Visitors can walk through the opening and see the name nearby. Red letters on the window also sit over the art inside. The design connects many voices without taking attention away from their work.