GMK Retrospective 2024: Keeping Focus
This year, we explored beyond the design techniques—digging into the social-cultural issues shaping the design ecosystem. Now, we’re sharing the in-depth features you couldn’t stop reading in 2024. From powerful perspectives to thought-provoking design movements, these are the pieces that sparked conversations.
1. A Closer Look at the Paris 2024 Olympics Designs

Competition, controversy, and visual beauty at the Paris 2024 Olympics has been in the spotlight since the games opened on July 26th. Design plays an undeniable role in this quadrennial competition—giving the Paris 2024 Olympics a strong appeal from a visual perspective. Instead of simply prioritizing function as a medium of communication to bring together the athletes, spectators, and the world, all visual elements of the Paris 2024 Olympics were designed with a thorough artistic concept and depicts the French spirit influenced by fashion, architecture, and history.
2. Imagining a More Inclusive Design Industry

This year, Women’s History Month carries the theme "Women Advocating for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion". With this idea, the global community is expected to join efforts to eradicate gender bias and discrimination completely. Women around the world are also encouraged to raise their voices louder for justice and equality in every aspect of social life, including in the workplace. Gender equality itself remains an unfinished task in various sectors, including design. The current design ecosystem, not excluding Indonesia, still needs more representation of women, especially in leadership positions, both in institutions and studios. With such a reality, how about we imagine an equal and inclusive design industry?
3. Graphical Art as a Form of Resistance and Defiance Against Genocide in Palestine

For decades, posters and graphic visual art have served as revolutionary tools and symbols of the Palestinian people's resistance, advocating for freedom from occupation. Through these artistic expressions, Palestinians voice their rebellion and convey messages of resilience to their people, the global community, and world leaders. The vivid visual creations by Palestinian artists reflect the nation's identity, using colors such as red, green, white, or black, along with illustrations of cultural symbols like the Keffiyeh.
4. Designing the Little Things: Opportunities in the Trinket Market

From key chains, stamps, postcards, to stickers—collections of knick-knacks or trinkets are rapidly gaining popularity, especially with young audiences who are starting to find sentimental value in “small” items and personalizing their everyday things. This phenomenon not only gives rise to new trends, but also creates a market for merchandise and opportunities for designers or illustrators to participate. The trend of collecting knick-knacks in Indonesia has been around for a long time, as evidenced by the large number of antique prints that we can find on the market today. However, it is only in the last few years that the knick-knack market has become as popular again. Almost every weekend in Jakarta or other big cities, we can find art markets that sell various forms of trinkets. Interestingly, the participation of designers and illustrators is something that trinkets lovers have been anticipating because they present "small" products with distinctive designs and illustrations as well as everyday touches that are close to the hearts of many.
5. Visual Identity Dynamics in Political Campaigning

In the digital era, where the internet plays an increasingly significant role in every aspect of life including politics, the question of how we can maximize its use to improve the effectiveness of political campaign designs arises. In developed nations, many design breakthroughs have become integral in political campaign strategies. However, it seems that in Indonesia, this step is still a challenge in and of itself.
6. On Design for Liberation with Rahical

Rahical is a New York-based Bangladeshi/Rohingya graphic designer. Among her impressive works, this young designer has actively designed free protest posters and social media campaigns bringing awareness to the plight of Palestinians. From collaborations with Free Palestine Printing to social media campaigns like the Gaza Press Club, Rahical’s designs are poignant and ever so relevant as the global demand for ceasefire goes unheard yet again.