Design Tomorrow

On March 24, 2010, the first annual competition of young designers Design Tomorrow officially started. The theme of the competition is “Ukraine - brand”. The main goal of the competition is the development of modern design culture in Ukraine, the creation of an authentic school of Ukrainian design in the world context and the support of young talented designers and artists.

The organizer of the project is a creative design bureau Karandash Graphic Design Bureau.

The head of the competition and the curator of the jury (without participation in the vote) - Andrei Fedorov . The creative coordinators and jury of the project are famous Ukrainian designers ( Valery Babich, Alexey Say, Konstantin Sen, Dmitry Maksimenko, Dmitry Clichik ), outstanding artists and culture ( Alexander Solovyov, Pavel Gudimov, Ivan Malkovich, Oleg Kohan ), as well as the art director of the Top 10 magazine Alexander Klyuchnik .

The philosophy of the competition is complete freedom, without a short and restrictions. Without authorities, I contrary to generally accepted templates.

The mission of the competition is the creation and development of a new national visual identification of Ukraine.

According to the curator of the project, Andrei Fedorov , the theme of Branding of Ukraine had long been on the surface. A modern Ukrainian who uses the Internet and watches digital television, has no better alternative to emphasize his national and cultural affiliation than to dress embroidery or decorate his head with a wax of flowers. In the era of progressive marketing communications, when neighboring countries develop and accept new images of national identification at the state level, Ukraine does not even have certain pontoons of the color of the national flag.

Andrei emphasizes that the Design Tomorrow contest is, in a sang queue, the opportunity for young designers of Ukraine to declare themselves. It doesn’t matter if the contestant has an appropriate education. The main condition is the desire to change something, the desire to contribute to the development of Ukrainian design.

According to Pavel Gudimov (creative coordinator, jury of the competition) of modern Ukrainian identity does not exist at all. There are separate initiatives, achievements that die in high offices, never reaching the mass consumer. Noting the significance of the national cultural property of Ukraine, in particular, filled with deep semantic meaning of visual folklore, the artist emphasizes that the view of modern national design should not be directed to the past, but into the future. “Of course, certain elements of folklore can and should be, but so beautifully and subtly transformed so that this does not compare with” the Euro -haired “”, ”adds Pavel.

Many of the representatives of progressive design circles agree that the country's visual identity should be versatile and directed to various audiences: both internal and external. Now there is a need to offer new visual images that Ukrainians would like, and which they would with pleasure and an elevated sense of national dignity spread around the world, as our neighbors do. “We need to take up the image of the country from the inside and outside in all directions, to make such a style that would emphasize the new and fresh course of our country as a thinking, creative state that has great potential,” Pavel Gudimov emphasizes.

Particular attention is required by the level of development of Ukrainian design as a separate discipline and profession. The famous Ukrainian designer Valery Babich (creative coordinator, jury of the competition) emphasizes that a shortage of young specialists is observed on the Ukrainian design market. “Even 15 years ago, not a single university in the country has trained such specialists! And now there are plenty of schools and universities, but the level of graduates is low - I meet little people who live this element. But the design is the area that requires constant improvement, ”the specialist notes.

According to many experts, one of the problems of professional Ukrainian design is the gap between the "old" and "new" specialists. “New technologies and tools have appeared, most young designers have to master them on their own, because” the old guard of “teachers does not always possess these tools with perfection,” adds Valery Babich.

The jury and creative coordinators of the project, who agreed to support the competition “Design Tomorrow: Ukraine - Brand”, share the opinion of the project organizers that Ukraine needs a new and progressive vision of national identity. The prospect and changes have always been the prerogative of young people. Actually the competition “Design Tomorrow: Ukraine - Brand” is an incentive for young specialists to make a creative contribution to the development of the national identity of their state.

You can see the brief on the website of the Design Tomorrow contest. Deadline: May 1, 2010.