Open Call: Freedom
Photograph by Carey Juliette, commissioned for ‘Club Catharsis’ in Disegno #16.
For our autumn 2025 edition, we are commissioning an issue of Disegno focused on the theme of “Freedom” in design.
The edition will be the fortieth issue of Disegno and will launch in September during the London Design Festival. As such, we are open to pitches from writers, photographers, designers and illustrators that tackle ideas of what freedom might mean in relation to design.
We welcome suggestions for articles that can illustrate contemporary design’s social, political, industrial or environmental impact, and which explore the discipline’s significance in a manner that is engaging, enjoyable, and welcoming to broad audiences – both those who are deeply immersed in contemporary design debates, and newcomers to the field.
Interpretations of the theme of freedom may include, but are not limited to, designs that offer liberation from existing systems or structures; objects and spaces that facilitate alternative ways of living and being to current social paradigms; creative explorations of materials, processes and aesthetics; functional approaches to solving difficulties or challenges in people’s daily lives; or challenges to design’s capacity to promote or support freedom.
The issue is open to covering all forms and outputs of design. We are interested in architecture, landscape, products, interfaces, graphics, fashion, systems and more. No design discipline will be given priority over any other, but we will aim for a balance of different forms of design. The issue also aims to display design work from all around the world, created by a mixture of established and emerging designers. Projects from regions and countries that are underreported in design writing are particularly welcome.
We also aim to strike a range of different tones. We welcome pitches that deal with with freedom directly, and which offer analysis of core elements of the subject, but we are also open to more tangential or surprising interpretations: the finished issue will offer a mixture of the two. Alongside this variety in interpretation, we welcome a range of different storytelling forms: from the political and poignant, to the comic and playful. All suggestions that engage meaningfully with contemporary design issues, no matter in what way, will be considered.
Across the board, we only commission stories that can ground their ideas about freedom in a clear, contemporary project(s) or topic(s) of relevance to design – a well defined case study is essential. We welcome broad engagement with issues within design, but appreciate this being couched in concrete examples that have a clear relevance to contemporary discussion. Historical pitches are welcome, but should offer reflection on their meaningfulness for the field today.
We are open to pitches from writers and photographers of all kinds, as well as from designers who believe that their own work would be relevant to the theme. More detailed information as to what we are looking for follows below, as well as some general advice for pitches.
The open call will close on 22 May, and we will endeavour to get back to all proposals, whether successful or unsuccessful, by 2 June. Please send all pitches to Disegno’s editor-in-chief Oli Stratford on oli@disegnojournal.com.
Writers
We are looking for pitches for 2,000-word articles that provide different interpretations of freedom in design, which should be linked to specific projects and issues from contemporary design disciplines.
In a similar vein to our autumn 2024 and spring 2025 issues, we are seeking essays that are not overtly journalistic in tone, but which are instead driven by narrative and creative engagement with their topic – the essays should read as non-fiction short stories.
While all essays should be grounded in journalistic techniques (thorough research; interviews with practitioners; and a clear desire to communicate complex issues within contemporary design to their readership), we value stories and writing that have an editorial merit beyond this. We are open to suggestions for forms of writing of all kind.
We are seeking pitches that can use personal experience of design to illuminate the field’s broader social and political structures through compelling, accessible narratives. The best pitches will pair close examination of design with a wide-ranging understanding of its broader societal impact.
We pay £300 for essays and cover reasonable expenses. Writers should expect at least two rounds of careful edits, and they will also receive free copies of the magazine once it’s published.
Photographers
We are looking for pitches for image-led stories that provide different interpretations of freedom in design, linked to specific projects and issues from contemporary design disciplines.
We are open to all types of photography, but are looking for ideas that engage with the theme and which creatively explore the potential for visual storytelling.
We are open to photoessays, reportage, still-life and any other formats that allow for thoughtful engagement with a topic.
Proposals for image galleries within the issue are welcome, and we are open to publishing pre-existent bodies of work where there is a clear relevance to the topic.
We pay £300 for image-led stories and cover reasonable expenses. Photographers should expect to submit an edit from which a final selection will be made by Disegno’s creative directors, and they will also receive free copies of the magazine once it’s published.
Designers
We welcome proposals from designers who believe that their work provides an interesting perspective on the topic of freedom.
Potential projects may come from any design field. The final issue should display a wide range of different design disciplines and outcomes, so we welcome proposals of all kinds.
We are open to developing a story with designers, and pairing them with a writer and photographer to create writing and imagery around their work. If you believe your work is worthy of coverage, we want to hear from you.
We are specifically looking for design projects that would reward close study and analysis in terms of freedom, and which may touch upon issues that are of relevance to all working in the field.
General advice for pitches
Disegno covers all design disciplines, as well as fields that sit outside of design, but clearly impact upon it, such as policy or sociology. We welcome pitches that deal with topics and projects that fall outside of recognised design fields, but will require an explanation as to why they are of relevance to a design audience. To get a better idea of the kind of stories we commission, you can pick up copies of our autumn 2024 and spring 2025 issues
We publish both established and emerging writers and photographers, so do not hesitate to pitch to us if you are just starting out. If your idea is strong, we will be happy to work with you to develop it.
We will advertise future pitch call-outs on our newsletter, and you can sign up here.
The best pitches will include:
An explanation of why your idea would be of interest to a design audience.
A clear contemporary project or theme in which broader discussion can be anchored.
Consideration of how text and images might work together in the piece: photographers should consider what text might accompany their work, just as writers should consider what imagery could be used or commissioned to illustrate their texts.
Writers should include examples of people they would interview and research they would include, and provide context about their personal relationship with the topic where relevant.
The open call will close on 22 May 2025.