The Embassy of Serbia

Presents

 

PUBLIKUM calendar

December 12 – 24th 2007

 

 

Publikum Calendar is a non-profit art-publishing project that started in Serbia during the era of Slobodan Milosevic’s regime. In 1993, Publikum Printing house and team consisting of George Mill & Nada Ray hatched a project that re-inspired the Serbian arts community during their nation's most troubled time of war and isolation. It was envisioned as an innovative communication medium that would introduce Serbian artists to an international audience, and bring world renowned artists to Serbia.

Through their creativity, artists and professionals challenge achievements in the fields of design, illustration and photography.

Calendar has featured works of prominent artists from around the world, including Christo, Barbara Kruger, Oliviero Toscani, Tadanori Yoko, David Byrne, Mirko Ilic, Karlssonwilker, Andrea Dezso and most recently Paula Scher.

The launch of each new Publikum Calendar and accompanying exhibition are considered to be a “must” event in Serbia today. Publikum Calendar exhibitions attract virtually thousands of visitors in Belgrade and are supported by the City Council, National Television and numerous Serbian media.

Publikum Calendar has a strong educational and exploration mission. 2000 copies that are produced each year are given away to institutions and creatives from the world of art, culture and the media, both in Serbia and abroad, as well as to Publikum business partners. In 2004 the One Club for Art & Copy, New York, hosted the retrospective exhibition of 12 years of Publikum Calendars.

 

Publikum, established in Belgrade in 1990, is a printing house known for its high standards. Publikum has become one of the major printers in Serbia, thanks to its devotion to highly demanding printing jobs, most of them featuring art. The unique image of Publikum in Serbia was built largely on the success of the non-profit project of the Publikum Calendar. www.publikum.co.yu

 

 

... The Publikum calendar represents far and away one of the most inspiring design efforts I have ever seen...

Stefan Sagmeister, graphic design icon

 

The Publikum Calendar is one of the most important collaborative graphic media projects of the past two decades... and visually stunning. And the best thing is I got one!

Liz McQuiston, author of book Graphic Agitation

 

Publikum Calendar is a time capsule, the evidence of artistic survival in some grimmest of times in the history of nation

Lazar Dzamic, author of book No Copy Advertising

2007 Publikum Calendar

 

GOBBLEDY-GOOK, NONSENSE, BALDERDASH

(Experiments in alphabet form and meaning)

 

Guest Artist: Paula Scher

 

 

“…That’s how an alphabet looks to an illiterate person. It seems impossible that the odd shapes and forms that comprise the character of letters have sounds attached to them, and that those strange sounds depicted by forms have meaning when they are strung together. I can’t read Cyrillic* characters. Neither can any of the designers who work with me. The Cyrillic words on the page simply look like complete gobbledy-gook.

We took this rare opportunity of accidental illiteracy to explore a foreign typeface and language (Serbian) formalistically and compare and contrast it to the one we understand (English). What follows are some typographic explorations in form and meaning.”

 

Introduction by Paula Scher published in the Publikum Calendar 2007

 

 

 

                  

 

 

Paula Scher has been a principal in the New York office of the distinguished international design consultancy Pentagram since 1991. She began her career as an art director in the 1970’s and early 80’s, when her eclectic approach to typography became highly influential. In the mid-1990s her landmark identity for The Public Theater fused high and low into a wholly new symbology for cultural institutions, and her recent architectural collaborations have re-imagined the urban landscape as a dynamic environment of dimensional graphic design. Her graphic identities for Citibank and Tiffany & Co. have become case studies for the contemporary regeneration of classic American brands. Scher has developed identity and branding systems, promotional materials, environmental graphics, packaging and publication designs for a broad range of clients that includes, among others, Bloomberg, Coca-Cola, Perry Ellis, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the New 42nd Street, the New York Botanical Garden, and The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.

During the course of her career Scher has been the recipient of hundreds of industry honors and awards. In 1998 she was named to the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame, and in 2000 she received the prestigious Chrysler Award for Innovation in Design.

She serves on the board of The Public Theater, and is a frequent design contributor to The New York Times, GQ and other publications. In 2006 she was named to the Art Commission of the City of New York. Her work is represented in the permanent collections of the MoMA and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York; The Library of Congress, Washington DC; Museum für Gestaltung Zürich; Denver Art Museum, Bibliothèque Nationale de France and the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.

2008 Publikum Calendar

 

GUIDE FOR LIVING

 

Guest Editor: Debbie Millman (USA)

 

Works & Words by:

 

Sean Adams (USA)

Marian Bantjes (Canada), Luba Lukova (Bulgaria/USA), Mina Zabnikar (Slovenia),         Chip Kidd (USA), Jianping He (China), Garth Walker (South African Republic),            Vladan Srdic (Serbia/Slovenia), Big Active (UK), Fabrika (Bosna & Hercegovina),        Matteo Bologna (Italia/USA), Elastic People (USA), Igor Orsolic (Serbia)

 

 

                         

 

 

12+2+2 is a magic formula used to make Publikum calendar 2008 edition. Guide for Living 2008 visually connects dreams, wishes and goals, so typical for every New Year. 12 contributing artists from all around the world, 2 designers and 2 editors joined efforts to create incredible, unique and unforgettable project.

 

Sean Adams is a partner at AdamsMorioka, a design firm recognized by every major competition and publication including Step, Communication Arts, Graphis, AIGA, The British AD Club and New York AD Club. He is national President of AIGA and he teaches at Art Center College of Design. Sean Adams is the co-author of the books Logo Design Workbook, Color Design Workbook and Masters of Design. AdamsMorioka’s clients include Adobe, Target, Walt Disney Co, Sundance, USC, and Nickelodeon.

 

Debbie Millman has been in the design business for over 20 years fulfilling her dream of working in branding and furthering the meaning, purpose and stature of brands in our culture. She is managing partner and President of the Design at Sterling Brands and she teaches at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Also, Debbie is contributor to Pint magazine and the author of the book How to think like great graphic designer. In 2005 she began hosting the weekly internet radio show Design Matters.

 

Creative Director: George Mill(Serbia/USA)

Editors: Debbie Millman (USA)and Nada Ray (Serbia/USA)

 

Principal Designer: Sean Adams (USA)

 

 

 

The Embassy of Serbia

2134 Kalorama Road  NW   Washington DC  20008

T 202 332 0333    F 202 333 2211