Laptop on a wooden table in sunlight, showing a small blue PENKA wordmark in the centre of a white screen.
Portrait-format photograph of a laptop on wooden furniture, with the PENKA wordmark on screen and sunlight on the wall.

Penka Rare Books and Archives

How can individual objects unfold into larger histories?

Context

Collecting rare books is built on a combination of expertise, research and discovery. Penka connects collectors, institutions and curious readers with unique books and archives, providing access to objects whose value lies not only in their rarity but also in their historical and cultural contexts.

Approach

The challenge was to translate this relationship into a digital experience: not creating a conventional online shop or catalogue, but a space where books can be discovered, understood and experienced.
The design treats the website as an extension of Penka’s curatorial practice. A flexible system of categories, search functions and individual book presentations creates orientation within a diverse collection while preserving the character and uniqueness of each object. Through the interplay of image, text and digital interactions, the platform transforms research and collecting into an accessible experience.

Overview of the PENKA wordmark: blue and black panels and three colour versions with the letters of “RARE” arranged vertically.
“LL Ivory” type specimen with white uppercase and lowercase letters, numerals and symbols on a blue background.
“LL Ivory Italic” type specimen with white italic letters, numerals and symbols on a black background.
Three blue PENKA wordmarks on white, with different amounts of spacing between the letters of “RARE”.
Three blue PENKA wordmarks on white, with different vertical spacing between the letters of “RARE”.
Back view of a person wearing a blue sweatshirt with a pale PENKA wordmark arranged vertically.
A seated person holds a grey tote bag printed with a blue PENKA wordmark and widely spaced “RARE” lettering.
Brown shipping box with blue tape printed with widely spaced white PENKA lettering.
Three catalogue covers with historical photographs and PENKA wordmarks in blue, white and orange respectively.
Laptop displaying the PENKA search page with a grid of rare books and printed materials.
PENKA website with a yellow background, the heading “Counter Culture”, a short introductory text and vertical category navigation.
PENKA website showing a grid of books on a coral-pink background with vertical category lists on both sides.
White PENKA webpage with a large cropped magazine cover, descriptive text and three further book previews below.
PENKA website with a lavender background and the heading “Art and Architecture” between vertical category lists.
One of the website’s central features is the so-called “Book Cinema.” To highlight what makes each book unique, the Penka team can mark specific details as focal points and add comments and annotations. Users can navigate from one detail to the next, gradually uncovering the book’s story and the significance of its individual elements.
Angled view of a laptop displaying a PENKA book grid, with two hands resting on the keyboard.
Mobile PENKA website on a blue background with coloured category bars and a grid of book listings below.
Hands holding a smartphone displaying PENKA’s “New Arrivals” page with historical book and magazine covers.
Desktop and mobile PENKA webpages side by side on a blue background, showing an archival photograph, a book image and descriptive texts.
Project Title
Penka Rare Books and Archives
Client
Penka Rare Books and Archives
Year
2025–2026
Services
Identity Design, Website Design
Role
Concept Development, Art Direction, Design, Project Lead, Production Coordination
Graphic Design
Sarah Fricke, Pawel Wolowitsch
Website Development
Menschmaschine Studio
Typefaces
LL Ivory by Lineto