In addition to presenting more than a century of history in the field, the project’s creators seek to highlight graphic design’s influence on society. Graphic design is something that people have with them their entire lives, but few know the stories behind it. Graphic designers themselves see the field primarily as a public service, one which, in the words of designer Zdeněk Ziegler, “can sometimes be somewhat related to art.”

The seven-episode TV series aired on Czech Television’s ČT Art channel and streamed on its iVysílání service starting on January 11, 2024. Now all episodes are available on stream.cz/identita and iVysilani.

"A show about graphic design has been needed here for a long time. I think everyone has been waiting for it, and that it’s something that can be a lot of fun. What’s more, the field has an incredible tradition. Names like Sutnar and Teige are still known all over the world," says series host Aleš Najbrt.

The series will feature legends of Czech graphic design, including Jan Solpera, Zdeněk Ziegler, Rostislav Vaněk, Clara Istlerová, Karel Haloun, Ota Karlas, Ivan Král, Milan Jaroš, Alan Záruba, František Štorm, Petr Babák, Radana Lencová, Jana Vahalíková, Marek Pistora, Robert V. Novák, Tomáš Brousil, Radek Sidun, Petra Dočekalová, Vojtěch Říha, Martin T. Pecina and many more.

The episodes cover the following topics:

October 12, 2024 – February 2, 2025
Museum Kampa

The exhibition on all three floors of Museum Kampa will show the best of the history of Czech graphic design, i.e. works in which aesthetic quality, good technical realisation, craftsmanship and functionality go hand in hand. Visitors will see several hundred exhibits from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day: iconic posters, exquisitely designed books and magazines, dozens of logotypes, the development of state symbols and navigation systems, as well as exceptional examples of graphic design from the era of audiovisual media.

The exhibition, curated by Filip Blažek, Linda Kudrnovská and David Korecký, is the part of the multi-genre project Identity – the story of Czech graphic design (www.projektidentita.cz), which includes a TV series broadcast in January and February 2024 on Czech Television, a forthcoming feature film on graphic design, which will be released in Czech cinemas on 10 October, and a book of the same name, which will be published as a catalogue to accompany the exhibition and is also a monograph on graphic design. 

The exhibition is divided into three floors thematically focused on public space, shared experiences and the private world. Iconic works will be highlighted through special labels to ensure that no visitor misses key exhibits. In accompanying texts, visitors will learn about the broader cultural, historical and political context of the exhibited artefacts, i.e. how graphic design influences society and vice versa.

The exhibition is a joint project of the Kampa Museum, Typo and Mowshe. The graphic design is by Marvil studio, the architecture is by Jan Kloss and Matěj Činčera from studio Okolo.

The forthcoming comprehensive collective monograph Identity – the story of Czech graphic design, edited by Linda Kudrnovská, will present the key phenomena, works and personalities of the field.

Through interviews with important representatives of Czech graphic design and essays by a number of leading Czech and international experts, it will bring to light historical milestones, unpublished works, and unknown contexts. The Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, the Museum of Czech Literature, the Moravian Gallery in Brno, the Moravian Library, the Municipal Library in Prague, and the Czech National Museum have all made their collections available for the book.

The book will be designed by Adéla Svobodová, and will be in Czech and English. It will complement the entire Identity project by adding detailed explorations and expert insights, while at the same time maintain reader-friendliness and visual appeal.

World-renowned auctioneer and Czech-American Nicholas Lowry flies from New York to Prague as a passionate collector to map out what has shaped and defines the Czech national identity. His travels around the Czech Republic take him to iconic locations of graphic design, including the cities of Zlín, Litomyšl, Brno, and Pilsen, where he explores the work of Tomáš Baťa, Josef Váchal, Alfons Mucha, and Ladislav Sutnar, as well as trying out the famous Pilsner beer. The journeys the quirky guide takes in his tartan suit also lead him to South Moravia in search of the aesthetics of wine labels. He goes on a hiking trip along routes marked by the Czech Tourist Club with their innovative trail marking system, and he meets the current generation of artists such as Petr Babák, Martin Pecina, and Aleš Najbrt. Nicho gets closer to his own roots through uncovering the Czech identity – his great-uncle founded the Primeros factory in Prague, which also spoke to the history of Czech graphic identity.

The film Identity: A Czech Graphic Design Love Story is part of the extensive Identity project, which pays tribute to Czech graphic design and has already brought viewers a successful television series. In terms of content and format, however, these are two completely different audiovisual works.