CGD

On its 50th anniversary, the visual style of the AFO festival of documentary and popular-science films boasted a simple graphic puzzle system dominated by a unified Grotesque typeface and a basic layout grid that defines the creative field. Two years ago, the field was dominated by Daniela Dostálková's photographs of girls depicted as participants in psychological experiments from the early 1900s. Last year, the central motif took the form of playful comic-book drawings by Martin Groch who co-designed the graphic concept. The distinct dynamic pop drawing contrasts with the minimalist frame. The concept loosens up a bit in the presentation of billboard panels and decorations in the university atrium. The posters are divided into two visual sections; each of them portrays fiction and reality by means of a comic-book play on meaning, reflecting the 50-year long gap. The legendary Robot Emil from the 1960s and the robotic arm of a mechatron drawn side by side show how much the field of robotics has evolved. The same can be said about other products and visions from the 1960s that are hyperbolically interpreted through the language of comic books. This is probably the most interesting aspect of the project – the perfect comic book course implanted in cool European minimalist design. The result is a juicy, frisky and memorable visual that resonates within the European popular-science scene.

Pavla Pauknerová