Critical Daily    Critical practice in graphic design

This project consists of 73 postcards, divided into nine themes: time, graphics, density, bridge, mood, ornament, movement, why?, and souvenir. Intended as a memoir, the set represents one of the most famous districts of Bratislava. In addition to Petržalka’s typical, concrete-panel buildings, paneláky, the author focuses on the minutiae of everyday life. The depictions of this district are dedicated to the past, while also examining contemporary problems dating from the time the project was created.

2005 marked the beginning of critical reflection at the intersection of art, architecture, and urban studies in Slovakia. Many of Martin Mistrík’s ideas had started to become popular memes. The author approached the visual aspects of the Petržalka district with a particularly visual sense of humour, portraying the situations by telling stories in an original, unconventional way, in the form of separate postcards. We can at once read the set as a thorough report and as individual, activist jokes.

The postcard form relates to the fragmented and multifaceted reality of the subject matter, and can be perceived as a collection of details as well as a large puzzle composed of different shapes and colours. Visually appealing and generally understandable, most of the messages remain universal. The design language employed is minimalistic and timeless. While some of the postcards are simply visual jokes, some deal with deeper social issues like accessibility, Nazism, crime, etc. The complexity of the project indicates a deep involvement in social issues and in creative tourism, on the part of the designer. It is a set of postcards accessible to tourists and local citizens alike.

The project received the Slovak Design Award in the student category.