Archivo, the Mexico City-based archive dedicated to showcasing the city’s industrial and architectural design history, has recently launched a new website. When we spoke to them back in June, the site was still in the works—the latest component to an effort to organize the space’s expansive and interdisciplinary work under one graphic identity. Alejandro Olávarri, Archivo’s assistant curator and in-house graphic designer, told us at the time that the website is designed to reflect the flexible nature of the space itself, which serves alternately as an exhibition space, library, archive, and reading room. “The [website] navigation is so random, but that’s also how you navigate the space,” Olávarri said. “We wanted to challenge the typical linear navigation of an institution website.”
And now the website is up, in all its glory. It’s a labyrinthine journey through all of the archive’s various functions: a homepage of overlapping shapes lead to various sections for publishing, events, research, etc. Clicking into a section labeled “Space” brings up photos of the building, the archive, and the shop; “Rethinking” guides users through publishing and event projects. It’s a clever and eye-catching way to display a large backlog of information and past works, all while effectively communicating what the archive does. Check it out here.