Dezeen Magazine

Arper showroom hosts exhibition of Brexit passport designs during Clerkenwell Design Week

The winning entry plus eight runners up in Dezeen's Brexit passport design competition will be on display at the London showroom of Italian furniture brand Arper this week, as part of Clerkenwell Design Week.

The passports will be displayed in a custom-made installation designed by graphic design studio Alexander Boxill. Each of the nine proposals will be housed in a glass dome.

The unofficial competition was won by Scottish graphic designer Ian Macfarlane.

His winning proposal features a tonal gradient on its cover, with the blue upper half seeping over the maroon lower half.

Judges described the winner as "poetic and powerful". "It can be read as representing a smooth transition, a nostalgic return or an ominous darkening," said jury chair and Dezeen founder Marcus Fairs.

"This makes it a worthy winner, since the brief called for a design that would represent all UK citizens."

The second-placed design, by London industrial design studio Special Projects, features an iridescent cover and a shoulder strap, as it is designed to start conversations while travelling abroad.

Tim Gambell and Alfons Hooikaas came third with a proposal for personalised passports featuring covers celebrating the holder's home town and visa pages decorated with images pulled from their social media accounts.

"We are delighted to host Dezeen's initiative at our London showroom as a great addition to our programme of activities during Clerkenwell Design Week," said director of Arper UK Daniel Gava.

Alongside the exhibition, Arper is hosting the Bloggers Lounge, Clerkenwell Design Week's official venue for digital media, for the second year, and presenting its latest collections and new additions to its product range.

Arper is also hosting a conversation between Dezeen's Marcus Fairs and journalist and curator Max Fraser, who will discuss digital media's changing relationship with design.

The conversation takes place on Thursday 25 May from 4–5pm. For more details about this and other events hosted at Arper, visit www.arper.com/us/en/stories/events/clerkenwell-design-week-2017

The passports will be on display at Arper, 11 Clerkenwell Road, London EC1M 5PA from 23 May to 2 June.

Opening hours:
Tuesday 23 May, 10am-2pm
Wednesday 24 May, 10am-1.30pm and 2.3pm-6pm
Thursday 25 May, 10am-4pm
Friday 26 May, 9.30am-6pm
Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June, 9.30am-6pm