A city without vandals

The meeting with Erken Kagarov, vice-president of the Academy of Graphic Design, head and leading teacher of the author’s creative workshop of the Higher Academic School of Graphic Design, took place as part of the “Architecture of Movement” festival. Students, public and cultural figures of the city, pensioners, and representatives of advertising agencies came to listen to the lecture “Smart ways to combat vandalism.”

Photo: http://yarlife.me/

The problems of vandalism are especially acute now, because we are talking not only about graffiti, but also about illegal advertising, an overabundance of which we see every day. Erken Kagarov suggests fighting vandalism with the help of thoughtful design. And he proves this by the example of many countries: America, France, England and many others, which he has personally visited.

The issue is not only the culture and image of the city, but also the fact that city services are fighting the consequences of vandalism with funds taken from education, medicine and other social spheres.

Erken Kagarov's ideas are interesting, original and seem simple in theory. He suggests initially setting up objects that are inconvenient and unattractive for vandalism: playing with shapes, relief, surface, material. For example, a stainless steel bench is difficult to damage and can be easily cleaned with a solvent. Solid gray concrete fences should be replaced with forged ones, on which it is impossible to draw graffiti. And the walls of the lower floors of buildings should be made with convex, pimply or any other structures that are difficult to draw. The designer also says that it is effective to turn to professional street art. Beautifully painted buildings and stops are rarely damaged by vandals. Respected.

— In addition to fighting illegal vandalism, it is also necessary to fight legal vandalism. The city should not be a mechanism for delivering advertising to people. There is an overabundance of advertising media in our country. This is wrong,” the designer supports his speech with photographs taken personally in Russia and other countries.

Billboards can be replaced with city objects: electrical boxes and poles. All this needs to be intelligently adapted to reasonable PR.

— We are currently preparing a law banning advertising on buildings. I'm really looking forward to it. And I think that it is important to convey information about ways to combat vandalism to those who make decisions.

Alexandra, Erken’s wife, said that they often travel around the country giving lectures: “This is relevant now. Trend. But in Yaroslavl there is very little vandalism. Your city is prosperous. It's nice to come back here."