The results of the CarpathiaEtnoDesign competition

The results of the CarpathiaEtnoDesign competition

Modern design or traditional designs? An interesting story or an independent idea? Or is there a chance to combine it? To show these possibilities and encourage to discover the design traditions of the Polish-Slovak borderland and the inhabitants of the former Carpathians, we organized the CarpathiaEtnoDesign competition. The competition was addressed to all enthusiasts of design, design, drawing or graphics who were thirsty for new inspirations. The competition task was to design an original pattern referring to the design traditions of the Lemkos, Boykos, Pogórzans, Dolinians, people of Saris, Zemplin and Zamagurie.

The submitted works showed how much you can draw from the past and how great it is to combine it with the present. The competition commission decided to award five works (1st, 2nd, 3rd place and two honorable mentions).

The winning project was particularly appreciated by the Jury for the author's well-motivated creative concept, which was reflected both in the title of the work and in the graphic design. The project is characterized by simplicity and minimalism, but also a successful reference to the present day - the author used the ellipsis in his work in an interesting way, treating it as a repeating motif and symbolizing a certain story and multicultural dialogue

According to the interpretation of the winner of the 1st place, the main goal of his project was to transfer the design and elements characteristic of the peoples of the Carpathian Euroregion to the level of modernity and minimalism. That is why the shapes are simple, strongly resonant and devoid of ornaments. The color of the sign is white or black, and this simplicity of colors and means plays a symbolic role, referring to the difficult living conditions in the Carpathians. The five rhombuses symbolize the five countries that cover the territory of the Carpathian Euroregion. The shape and appearance of these rhombuses is inspired by the design present in the Lemko craft, e.g. on cribs.

The rhombuses tend towards a common center, from which three descending circles "drip" as it were. They are a reflection of the ellipsis, which symbolizes the interruption of the statement, the unfinished story. It indicates that the mentioned countries intend together, within the Euroregion, not only to continue and cultivate the history of individual groups, but also to create a new story about contemporary Lemkos, Bojkos, Pogórzans, Dolinians, inhabitants of Zemplin, Zamagurie or Saris, ensuring their rightful place in contemporary and future Europe. In the case of repeating the pattern, the individual signs are connected by a circle, which ensures graphic continuity and adds more symbolic weight, referring to the beads worn by women.

We warmly congratulate all the winners. At the same time, we would like to thank you for all the works sent, appreciating the effort made by all participants to explore the topic. We hope that the knowledge gained while creating patterns will be an inspiration for other interesting projects.

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