As with the first issue of Freigeist, which began as a “zine within a zine” hidden inside a copy of LogoArchive, it is an experiment. It explores the liminal space between visual and auditory performance, material form, self-publishing and distribution.

Each issue intends to present its readers with propositions. Ideas. Far from the dogmatic opinions of well-known industry figures and established publishers. it is an invitation to continue the thought. Issue 2 develops this, moving away from the disparate abstract ideas of Issue 1 and instead is a transcript of a Zoom event that happened in April 2020 in which Anton Wade (Design Calendar) and Richard Baird (LogoArchive) invited others to join them in a discussion on design and making.

The Freigeist event was unscripted and largely unplanned, but was an expression of Anton and Richard’s spirit of enquiry, to see if they could create a digital situation that would not simply port over the hierarchies found at physical design events, but rethink these, leverage some of the zeitgeist and channel some of the agency that comes from a lockdown.

There were no lecterns, microphones or forward-facing chairs. There were no slideshow clickers or moderators, just a conversation and an invitation to jump in. A technical glitch was the catalyst that drove the dissolution of the borders between the viewer and the viewed.

Readers can expect insights into running side projects, thoughts on the graphic design industry, social media and the tensions between design practice and design content. Readers can also see the origins of issue 2 develop as part of the event itself.