Manita Songserm and a New Reading of Contemporary Thai Graphic Design
Author/Source: Ellen Wang (Hsien-Tzu Wang),
When discussing Thailand’s design scene, many people instinctively imagine vivid colors and exuberant visual expression. Yet the practice of Thai graphic designer Manita Songserm moves in a markedly different direction, one that is quieter, yet no less radical. Through typography, rigorous structure, and the use of restrained color fields, Manita has developed a visual language that is precise, experimental, and functional: an approach that invites audiences not only to look but also to engage.
It was this very approach that brought her into the spotlight at the 2024 Golden Pin Design Award. The key visual she designed for the exhibition Crossover II: The Nature of Relationships at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) received the Best Design Award in the Communication Design category. The accolade marked a historic moment, as Manita became the first Thai designer to receive the Best Design distinction in this category at the Golden Pin Design Award.
Born in 1990, Manita Songserm (มานิตา ส่งเสริม), who goes by the nickname Mai, graduated from the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Chulalongkorn University. Shortly after completing her studies, she joined the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre as an in-house graphic designer. It was within this institutional context that Manita quickly established a visual language that is consistent, instantly recognizable, and deeply responsive to its context.
“Many people might say that my style is defined by the typefaces I use and how they’re selected and arranged,” Manita explains. “But for me, it’s more about staying open, taking in everything I’m interested in at that moment, and then structuring it through design, often using symmetrical grids.”
In 2019, before turning 30, Manita was elected as a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI). This milestone positioned her as one of the key figures of Thailand’s new generation of graphic designers, while simultaneously bringing her work into the global design discourse.
Each year, BACC organizes the Early Year Project, a platform dedicated to emerging artists. In her role as the institution’s graphic designer, Manita is responsible for creating a new visual identity annually, working within the same exhibition framework, yet responding to themes and artistic practices that constantly shift. Her ongoing exploration of typography, symmetrical grids, and structural systems consistently produces fresh visual outcomes. Within this context, bilingual communication, in Thai and English, plays a crucial role, while also presenting its own set of challenges.
“Because I work in communication design and promotional materials, Thai and English typefaces behave very differently,” she notes. “Their spacing, rhythm, and visual density generate completely different emotional responses.” Rather than treating these differences as constraints, Manita embraces them as creative opportunities. “In the end, Thai text may no longer function primarily as language to be read, but instead as a visual and aesthetic element.”
Her experiments extend beyond written language. In the 2024 Early Year Project, Manita introduced sign language as a graphic system. Eight hand gestures were translated into a series of posters responding to the exhibition theme IN A COGITATION.
“If you look closely, each project usually involves a technical shift or the introduction of a new element,” she says. By employing sign language, Manita created an entry point that transcended linguistic boundaries, allowing visitors who do not read Thai or English to connect intuitively and construct their own interpretations of the exhibition.
As is widely understood, good design is not merely about visual novelty or aesthetic refinement. It must be capable of opening a dialogue between content and audience, and at times even inviting participation. This principle is clearly embodied in Manita’s work for Crossover II: The Nature of Relationships. During the COVID-19 pandemic, BACC was unable to borrow artworks from overseas institutions. Instead, the curatorial team collaborated with private collectors across Thailand to assemble a selection of Thai paintings created between 1945 and 2000, spanning the period from the post–World War II era to the Asian Financial Crisis. The challenge was evident: how could 20th-century oil paintings be made relevant to a younger generation of viewers?
Manita’s response was to break down the color palettes of all 70 paintings into pixels, transforming them into abstract color charts that functioned as the exhibition’s key visual. Rather than confronting figurative imagery or narrative directly, audiences were first met with expanses of color, serving as a trigger for curiosity about the artworks and the historical periods they represent. “Color carries the atmosphere of a specific time,” Manita reflects. “It’s something that can’t truly be replicated today.” By reducing the paintings to pure color palettes, she connected historical works with the visual logic of the digital age, inviting visitors to enter the exhibition with a sense of exploration.
“It’s true, when you think of Thai design, color usually comes to mind first,” Manita says with a laugh. “I see it every day, too, so I understand.” Yet for her, design does not need to conform to predetermined visual expectations.
When developing exhibition visuals for the Isan region in northeastern Thailand, an area often associated with bright, vibrant colors, Manita instead turned to local bamboo craftsmanship and everyday ways of life. These references were translated into a typographic approach that emphasized subtle texture and material sensitivity, resulting in a visual language that feels restrained yet deeply rooted in its local context.
“My work reflects my personality and lived experience,” she explains. “I’m surrounded by chaos, contradiction, and intensity–but also by structure, rules, and pressure. That tension makes me want to bring a sense of order into my design. My artworks are where I get to experiment and make something new, often by blending global cultural elements into the mix.”
This ongoing negotiation between chaos and order has shaped what might be described as a non-typical Thai design aesthetic—one rooted in a citizen’s perspective rather than a rigid national visual identity. For Manita Songserm, design is not merely a promotional tool, but a space for dialogue, interpretation, and shared authorship between designer, artwork, and audience.
