Critical Daily    Critical practice in graphic design

The project “Reflection on Spinach is better” was created during my course Critic - Critical Practice in Graphic Design and for the purpose of the annual exhibition of our Department of Visual Communication at AFAD in Bratislava that I was curating. The exhibition was called Designer–Critic–Editor–Commentator and was opened in Satelit Gallery (gallery of Slovak Design Centre) in December 2014. Students during the exhibition were supposed to directly participate in the selection and reflection of projects from former and current teachers/students of the department. 

This project was a textual and visual reflection made by one of the students - Pavol Capovčák. Pavol reflected a poster “Spinach is better” designed by former student Ďuro Balogh in 1998. “I don’t think Popeye the sailor is just the right person to personalise fight against addiction. He certainly advocates a healthy diet, but in the same time an unhealthy lifestyle - during the whole TV show he smokes tobacco!”, says Pavol in his textual reflection. He also included a visual reflection to his installation - he designed an ironic poster with this cartoon figure and presented it in augmented reality. The visitors could scan the QR code on the wall above his text and watch the video on tablet or mobile device.

The exhibition Designer–Critic–Editor–Commentator was presenting the Department of Visual Communication at AFAD in Bratislava as a critical platform and community of graphic designers who see the permanent reshaping of the profession. It showed that department is able to critically reflect the profession itself, social issues and design works that were produced by its students and tutors during the 15 years of its existence.