Vít Mareš

We are currently creating the first part of a more complex, ongoing project – a communication strategy and design of the Jihlava 2032 Strategic Plan for the Statutory City of Jihlava. So far, we have produced an interactive presentation, information posters, event advertisement and participation information sheets. I appreciate the opportunity of working on design solutions that represent a wider benefit for society and our living environment. Illustration: Karla Gondeková, Strategy concept and texts: Zdenek Ondrák and Anika Chalupská.

A complex project starting with strategy planning, followed by research, the design process, design thinking workshops and teamwork, leading into communication strategy, tourism and visual identity. Our task was to develop the identity of the Brána Jihlavy project, a participatory organisation for cultural and tourism development. With our colleagues from Brána Jihlavy, we also launched the tourism campaign #DoJihlavy. Our work involved the creation of research documents, visual guidelines, a social media strategy, user experience and webdesign.

We founded a new platform for designing, structuring and developing online portfolios, under the domain Arbory.cz. The project is intended for all entrepreneurs and transdisciplinary creators. Arbory.cz provides webdesign and in-person consultations. Its concept and design were formed in cooperation with Jiří Macků and web developer Martin Dedek.

A digital archive, webdesign, a social media strategy and a visual identity created for Liběna Rochová, an outstanding fashion designer, artist, teacher and, above all, person, whose career represents a lifetime of experience.

Web developer: Martin Dedek, Marketing Consultant: Veronika Myšková, Instagram, social media and scanning: Hana Valtová, Proofreading: Brian Reagan

A prototype of the portfolio website for the architect studio By Architects. Unfortunately, this project was unrealised, but you can observe the webdesign and information architecture we created together with web developer Martin Rejsa.

We designed original books, which present environmental challenges from an artistic perspective. This time I collaborated with Viktor Kopasz on a photo book documenting the drying-up of the river Latorica. Text: Pavel Vančát, Photos: Viktor. Printed and bound at VOŠ Hellichova in Prague.

The Office of Urban Dreaming was a flat exhibition put together with flatmates and architects Tomáš Hrubý and Martin Stupka. Our entire flat was transformed into a post-quarantine wonderland. Concept – Inka Karčáková, lllustrations – Marie Novotná. A report of the exhibition was published in Swarm Magazine, edited by Zdeňěk Růžička.

The experimental symposium-cruise held near a non-navigable section of the river Labe. The project emphasised the potentials of communication and infrastructure in a fluid environment. Various guest researchers were invited to play a key role in expanding our imagination about both local and more complex problems. A video documentary of the symposium was captured on an iPhone by Vojtěch Petřina and Petr Michal.\nCrew: Dílna u Pavouka (Adéla Bierbaumer, Marek Fanta), StonyTellers (Jana Mikle and Tania Nikkulina), Martina Johnová, Magdaléna Gurská, Jan Hrubeš. The project was consulted with Roman Novotný.

We supported the non-profit iniciative Umění Pomáhá by designing it's visual communication strategy. The aim of the initiative was to gather people from the Czech art scene, who actively helped out during the Covid-19 pandemic. We produced brochures, Instagram posts, manuals and the information website www.umenipomaha.org. Collaboration with Jiří Macků.

This complex project was underlined by deep collective reseach into the phenomenon of artificial intelligence. "The Guide" was an installation, the creation of the AI named Loyly, a complex visual identity portrayed as a parasite. Produced in collaboration with Fond Vorapoj, Miranda Kastema, Petronella Grönroos, María Paloma Velázquez and others.

Adaptation, disobedience and transmateriality - these were the keywords for the exhibition curated by Edith Jeřábková and Alecandra Vajd. I was invited to create various visuals reflecting a discussion about the impersonal future of the design process, given the increasing involvement of high tech development in the face of ecological challenges. A visual identity of the exhibition and design of the Šum Journal #12 were produced. We recycled my colleagues' posters and created custom typefaces designed to save print ink and made suitable for cutting machines. Type support: Jakub Hojgr, Photography: Lenka Glisníková.

A collection of four booklets designed as a series of exhibition catalogues. The original book was created together with the artist Šimon Brejcha. The project dealt with the topic of gardening and simple activities connected to this hobby. Crushing, cracking, pressing and layering – these are some of the methods that Brejcha experimented with. We approached the book like the leaves of a salad or layers of mud. Typeface: Creatura by Jakub Hojgr.

This music video created for the musicians Spomenik and Aid Kid is an original project by videographer Tomáš Šťastný. We studied the "visual" aspects of epilepsy displayed in the motion graphics, subtitles and the poster.

For two years, we collaborated with Galerie Nika, a small gallery of Umprum Academy in Prague. In cooperation with the gallery's curators, we dedicated each year to testing a different graphic medium. As Nika is a student gallery, we decided to study two different technologies. In 2018, we experimented with the "old media" of serigraphy and designed a custom alphabet, inspired by the interior design of the Prague metro. In 2019, we focused on "new media" such as 3D rendering of advertising spots. Each project's abstract was displayed in the gallery. Collaboration: Jiří Macků, Photography: Lenka Glisníková.

A speculative project displayed in the AMU Gallery and Holešovická Šachta in Prague. The project was underlined by the author's quotes: "It is essential to observe our surroundings with unusual perception and behave like an invador searching for discovery."

The creation of a visual identity for two series of guest lectures held by Photo FAMU. The first visuals tested the limits of technically produced text in graphics. A series of posters was created by a sketching robot, each piece an original. The second series experimented with the idea of "blending the borders of photography and graphic design". A series of video posts displayed the glitches and blures of grid typographies. Technical support: Martin Dedek. Created at the Studio of New Media at FAMU, Prague. The Guest Lectures were initiated by Hynek Alt. Custom typography and lettering were used.

Both PhaseBook and Prague Zine Fest introduces selected contemporary book creators, both from the Czech Republic and abroad. Available for purchase will be alternative publications that speak to the reader about the world we live in through unique forms. On display will be authorial books, magazines, comic books, zines or other book projects making a commentary on social and gender themes. Some are intended for children, others map life or architecture or focus on visual culture. The fair also introduces several small publishers who’ll be selling their DIY publications.

For the past couple of years, we have been initiating community events, workshops and small summer schools for friends, colleagues, and ex-schoolmates. Our aim is to spend time in nature and work together to organise microprojects such as temporary installations, collective cooking, recitation and contemplative walks through the landscape. Through observing our surroundings, we try to learn about the natural environment around us, while getting to know each other better.