„20 Years of Fitzek“
Trade fair stand „20 years of Fitzek“
Welcome to the mind of Sebastian Fitzek
There are exhibition stands where you browse through books. And there are exhibition stands where you dive right into them. To mark Sebastian Fitzek’s 20th anniversary as an author, COORDINATION, in collaboration with the Berlin-based agency brot & salz, has created a space that feels like the inside of a thriller: dark, menacing and with a touch of humour. You won’t want to leave.
An entire stand for a single author. That’s certainly an exception at any Book Fair. For us, it was an opportunity not just to showcase Fitzek’s stories, but to make them a space you can walk through and be fully immersed in.
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A crime scene instead of a bookshelf
Even at first glance, it’s clear that something mysterious is going on here. Blood spatters streak across the floor and walls; semi-transparent plastic curtains hang there, as if a body were about to be disposed of. Add to that chains and cold metal tables, just like in a torture chamber. The thriller aesthetic is consistently applied throughout and sets the stage for everything that follows.
Scenes to step right into
Fitzek’s best-known works come to life across five immersive worlds. Each is designed in the style of its respective book, so that the fan community will recognise them instantly:
- The Eye Collector becomes a ball pit full of eyeballs. Yes, you read that right. You’re actively encouraged to jump in.
- The Night Train features an oversized suitcase that you can sit inside and pose in for the perfect shot.
- Not a Thriller becomes an illustrated cover box with cut-outs of the book’s icons.
- REM is a giant eye with a shattered iris, which you can peak through.
- The Therapy is an insane room full of flying pages and a floating therapy couch.
Every scene doubles as a photo point. Visitors re-enact scenes, take photos of one another and spread the word about the stand far beyond the exhibition halls via social media.
Catch the golden cover
Centrally a glass wind tunnel features prominently. Inside, pages with the book covers of the last 20 years swirl about, and whoever catches the cover of the latest Fitzek thriller has the chance to win a prize. The queue for this experience was long. And the suspense was very much in keeping with the author’s style.
The stand was rounded off by Audible’s ‘20 Years of Fitzek Experience’, as well as books and exclusive merchandise from the official Fitzek Shop.
Literature as an experience
The 2026 book fairs in Frankfurt and Leipzig were all about experience. Reading meets listening, playing and participating, and crime novels and thrillers were among the biggest crowd-pullers. The Fitzek stand demonstrates how scenography and storytelling capture this trend: here, an author’s brand is brought to life through the space itself, fans become active participants and a visit to the fair becomes a story worth passing on and sharing.
Facts
| Client | brot & salz for Sebastian Fitzek |
| Scope | Scenography, design, realisation |
| Design | Max Woszcyna and Flip Sellin together with brot & salz |
| Project Management | Max Woszcyna |
| Team | Lena Kramer |
| Graphics / Media | brot & salz |
| Photos | COORDINATION |