In a creative world that constantly redefines how we experience planning, the Munken Agenda returns — once again inviting designers, paper lovers, and curious minds to rethink time through material and imagination. For 2026, Arctic Paper presents Munken Agenda 2026: STAR(t), a conceptually rich, beautifully printed publication that is as much about creative reflection as it is about organization. Available for a limited time, the 2026 agenda continues Arctic Paper’s long-standing tradition of combining visual experimentation with premium materials and professional production.
From Linear Days to Circular Imagination
The core idea behind the new edition is deceptively simple: what if time wasn’t just a line to tick off, but a circle to explore? This year’s concept, titled STAR(t), centers on circularity and the notion that beginnings and endings are fluid, rather than fixed. Instead of treating months and weeks as linear segments, the agenda opens space for reflection, play, and creative discovery.
Two characters serve as guides throughout the book. Polo functions as the grounded planner, offering structure and clarity through the traditional calendar view. Astro provides a contrasting counterpoint, a more free-spirited voice that fills the second half of the agenda with prompts, experiments, and open fields ready to be interpreted as the user wishes. Together, they allow the daily rhythm to shift between disciplined planning and imaginative exploration.
The Munken Agenda 2026 marks more than two decades of ongoing collaboration between Arctic Paper and creative institutions across Europe
What began in the late 1990s has evolved into one of the industry’s most beloved annual design objects, a hybrid between educational initiative and professional showcase. Each year, students from a partner design school receive the brief to concept, design, and execute the visual and conceptual direction of the agenda. For them, it is both a challenge and a rare opportunity: the chance to see their work printed, produced, and distributed internationally to a demanding audience of designers, publishers, and paper enthusiasts.
For the 2026 edition, the concept and visual identity were developed by Elienai Barboza, Emma Mapelli, Blu Rigassi, and Nour Tabka — students at IED – Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan, Italy. Their work reflects a thoughtful balance between analytical structure and playful experimentation, fitting seamlessly into the legacy of the project.
“Working with students from across Europe gives us the opportunity to see paper through the eyes of a new generation of designers. They bring fresh energy and ideas, while we share knowledge and help them create a real product that reaches graphic designers and publishers all over Europe,” says Erik Bakkelund of Arctic Paper — a sentiment that captures the long-term spirit of the project.
True to the series, the 2026 agenda is a love letter to uncoated premium paper. The book is designed in A5 format and consists of 192 pages, a balance between portability and substance that suits both bag and desk. For the cover, Munken Kristall at 400 g/m² gives the agenda a crisp, high-white foundation with a tactile, slightly toothy surface that feels decidedly premium in hand. Inside, a curated mix of Munken Pure Rough, Munken Lynx, Munken Polar, and Munken Kristall Rough at 120 g/m² creates a rich interplay of natural shades and textures that reward both writing and drawing. Even the protective envelope is crafted from sturdy Munken Polar at 600 g/m², turning the packaging into part of the experience rather than an afterthought. The printing and binding were executed by Åtta45 in Sweden, whose precision and attention to detail ensure that the papers’ tactile qualities and natural tones come through clearly.
Why Designers & Paper Lovers Will Care
An agenda is never merely a tool — it becomes a space for ambition, timekeeping, memory, and imagination. Munken Agenda 2026: STAR(t) embodies that idea by offering not just pages, but possibilities. It is a celebration of paper as an expressive medium, as a tactile, inviting, and thoughtfully printed, designed to be lived with throughout the year rather than simply used.
For those who seek to plan on paper, draw on paper, or simply think on paper, the new agenda continues to prove that analogue objects still provide a uniquely intimate form of interaction. And for long-time admirers of the series, the 2026 edition stands as a continuation of two decades of material curiosity, conceptual play, and educational collaboration. So get yours now here!
Images © Arctic Paper