Truth, or Myth? Two visual identities, one AFO
18. 1. 2019
The next year of Academia Film Olomouc is fast approaching and the whole city of Olomouc will once again come alive with the festival from 23 to 28 April. At the turn of the year, we have disclosed to our potential visitors the festival’s specific visual identity which is in keeping with this year’s theme. The following article describes the dual concept of this year’s AFO and its visual design.
Last year’s Oceans theme got us experimenting with the poster submerged in an aquarium, and this year we are building the theme of AFO 54 around the contrast of truth and Myth which represents its main programme section. For the fourth time in a row, the graphic designer Radim Měsíc, working in tandem with the photographer Ondřej Hruška, came up with this year’s visual identity as well as its two contrasting graphics concepts.
“Following the tradition from previous years, we have decided to work with the medium of the poster in a conceptual way. This year’s concept is the moment of “tearing down” or breaking down the myths. Basically, there are two formally distinct posters (red vs yellow) glued together. The contents are identical apart from the dominant inscription which reads “pravda?” (“Truth?”) on the red version and “mýtus” (“Myth”) on the yellow one. Upon encountering the poster, the visitors may make do with the first layer, however, if they can think critically and know our festival well, they have the chance to tear down the first layer and reveal more information. The bright red poster declaring the word truth? to the world, accompanied by the recruitment version of our classic slogan Listen&Follow, is only covering up the alternative form of this year’s graphics,” Radim Měsíc presents the concept of his visual identity.
The only thing to do in order to reveal the well-known fact that truth is relative is simply to tear down this read facade. The red becomes yellow, the truth turns into Myth and Listen&Follow changes into the well-known Watch&Know. Naturally, the name of the festival, the 54th year and the date remain. The graphic team used the same principle to create posters for other sections which will also be the focus of the festival.
“We would like to work with this principle of tearing down or overlapping of layers/information in other activities, thus keeping our fans constantly on their toes. Much like in today’s world when one wishes to obtain information and identify what is a myth and what is the truth. This striking or even aggressive aesthetics of our visual design is not only noticeable but mainly refers to one of our programme sections – Propaganda. We are, therefore, building a cult or a myth called #AFO54,” adds Radim Měsíc.
You can see our GIFs showing the tearing down of “fake” sections already on our social network channels and also here on the website together with the annotations of this year’s programme sections. This year, Academia Film Olomouc will be marked by breaking down myths and its visual identity pursues the contrast of the counterparts which are put opposite to the official themes of the festival.
