“Design is a stance of the designer against societal and material environments. One of its main goals is to make life happy. It is also a way to organise feelings, and in every case, influencing those feelings.” Andrzej Pawłowski, Man – Environment, Initiations, Cracow, 1969

Life surprises us, makes us happy and anxious. We live longer, but does it always mean better? We can travel almost anywhere in a flash, we are drawn to exotic and foreign cultures, but at the same time we have problems with our own identity and respect for others. We fight against social exclusion, yet we deny others the right to hold opinions and convictions different from our own.Daily life brings us dissonance and challenges, which can be met if one has skills and opportunity. To this daily life, we stand up as people and designers. Even if the future makes us work hard, it also provides new tools, allowing us to solve problems more quickly, and probably more effectively. Sometimes new technologies help us make visions and dreams come true, but going back to the roots and traditions can also stimulate our imagination and bring surprising solutions.

At the next international design conference Agrafa 2017 Attitudes, we want to examine the attitudes of designers towards daily life. From a wide range of methods, we will try to choose that which seem the most valuable. We will look for common characteristics, such as the need to share, to participate, we will show the role of motivation and the sense of responsibility, the strength of individual approach and honesty. It can be a struggle for equality, or courage to take up difficult topics.

The origins of presented projects are diverse – some grow out of passion, others are a result of professional approach, based on hard work and meticulous studies. We will see if a designer's attitude has a meaning and makes life easier. Can it give meaning to our profession and bring measurable gains to users?

Agrafa International Competition of Student’s Graphic Design is a comprehensive review of the latest achievements in graphic design: animation, visual identity, visual information, editorial graphics, web / app design / digital publishing and type design, created by students either in class or independently.

The review aims at comparing curricula of art and design higher education institutions, presenting a variety of creative approaches and selecting the most original, innovative and inspiring solutions. A record number of 513 works were submitted to the first stage of the Agrafa competition. 386 participants registered for the competition. In the second stage, the Jury: Ewa Satalecka, Matylda Sałajewska, Cyrus Highsmith, Marcel Bencik, and Ilya Navumenka shortlisted 118 works in an online vote. At the Jury meeting on February 24, 2017, 66 works were qualified for the exhibition, 3 regulation prizes and six honourable mentions awarded. The winners will be announced during the exhibition opening on April 7, 2017, 19.00 CET at the Open Hall of the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice, ul. Raciborska 50. The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalogue.

Workshop for professionals
5—6.04 | 9.00–18.00
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Effective Communication
ran by Agnieszka Dunaj

Effective communication. What makes communication effective, how are we perceived by others, what are our assets and deficiencies, how can we develop communication skills? Those questions will be answered during the workshop titled “Effective Communication”. Participants of the workshop will become acquainted with language of persuasion and will learn how to use it successfully, they will learn how to form assertive message and how to manage conflict situations.

Workshop for students
5—6.04 | 9.00–18.00
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Communication and Collaboration
ran by Martyna Broda

The aim of the workshop is to strengthen interpersonal communication skills, especially developing cooperation and understanding, both within a team and in professional and personal relations. The workshop will teach you to: adjust the message to different personality styles of your colleagues and identify your dominant communication style, which will also help you with self-presentation. Develop understanding and creative results in a team avoid communication barriers and distortions, to make cooperation more effective. Use specific communication tools to develop understanding and dialogue.

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He trained as a graphic designer with Michael Baviera in Zurich, Switzerland. On qualifying, the Franco-Swiss designer returned to France. A proponent of interdisciplinary design, Baur created the Intégral network in 1989 with its own workshops: Intégral Ruedi Baur in Paris and Zurich. He continues to teach in colleges such as the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst in Leipzig where he was Professor for “System-Design” before being appointed Rector of the college. Today, he lectures and develops research programs in the HEAD University of Geneva, ENSAD in Paris and at the University of Strasbourg where he leads Idex action research in complex identities, legibility and comprehensibility. Baur received an honorary Doctorate in Design from the University of Laval. The most recent of the many wayfinding, visual identity and scenography projects he has designed are the visual identity of Manifesta 11, the sign and wayfinding system of the New School in New York, the Cologne-Bonn and Vienna airports, and the urban design project, La Phrase, for the European Capital of Culture, Mons. Baur has just completed the design of the passenger information system of the Grand Paris Project metro of the future (2022–2030) with the Intégral Paris team. / www.irb-paris.eu / www.irb-zurich.eu / www.ruedi-baur.eu / www.labo-irb.eu

lecture: Let’s design the better world!

Designers are in-forming our lives and environment. Therefore they have an important role in the society. It is in their responsibility to re-ask the briefs, to take position how and for whom they are designing. In our presentation we would like to share some examples of our recent works from visual languages, signage systems, institutional identities to interventions in the public spaces, exhibitions and memorials, in which we tried to bring the social-political dimension of a civic design in forward. It is up to our discipline, to take part in envisioning alternatives for this world in crisis.

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Sociologist, Cultural Scientist, specialised in visual and urban anthropology, she is associate researcher in Sociology of Design at the University St Gallen, Switzerland. She founded and lead since 1989 INTERDIS_Institute for Interdisciplinarity, Berlin and realized numerous publications and exhibitions, as well as conferences and research projects. She is president of the international Association Civic City – Institute for critical research and sciences in design and runs with Ruedi Baur the research programme Visible / Invisible at the University of Art and Design Geneva as well as the department of social design at the Designatelier Integral Ruedi Baur, Paris / Zurich. / www.civic-city.org

lecture: Let’s design the better world!

Designers are in-forming our lives and environment. Therefore they have an important role in the society. It is in their responsibility to re-ask the briefs, to take position how and for whom they are designing. In our presentation we would like to share some examples of our recent works from visual languages, signage systems, institutional identities to interventions in the public spaces, exhibitions and memorials, in which we tried to bring the social-political dimension of a civic design in forward. It is up to our discipline, to take part in envisioning alternatives for this world in crisis.

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Painter, designer, graduate of the Faculty of Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. In the years 2001–2010, co-founder and artistic director of -grafia magazine for visual culture. Since 2002 associated with the International Print Triennial Association in Krakow. Collaborator of the Ethnographic Museum in Krakow. Author and designer of exhibitions: “Od-nowa” hall at the permanent exhibition of EM in Krakow, “Rzecz małopolska – park doświadczeń kulturowych” (Krakow, Tarnów, Brussels, Warsaw), “Polski etnodizajn w Paryżu” (Paris), “Nieposkromiona potrzeba frajdy” at the Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Étienne, and “Izba przyjęć rzeczy biednych. Re_KOLEKCJE z Kantora” at the Ethnographic Museum in Krakow. He designed Skwer Konika Zwierzynieckiego in Krakow and “Dzikie Planty” – an unconventional playground in Krakow Planty Park. He created a luminescent mural on the wall of server building at the National Centre for Nuclear Research in Świerk, the “paint-pots” mural at Rondo Mogilskie in Krakow and ARE YOU READY mural at Kolberg Street. He lives in Krakow.

lecture: Dzikie Planty – ethno-design in Krakow

In the heart of the tame and orderly Planty park, a wild island of alternate reality materialized – an area for exploration, wild, bustling with the life of surprising organisms. At the beginning the idea seemed almost utopian, because the whole area forms part of a culture park and is subject to various visual, architectural and conservation restrictions. It turned out, however, that the project had a positive impact on the cultural landscape of the city, and so for the first time in 100 years, a completely new recreation space was established in Planty. Ethno-design is an idea for the democratization of public space, the formation of a new public – you do not have to be part of the art world to be our target. And what is especially important – ethno-design reclaims space, revitalizes and it helps people establish their own relationship with the place and local tradition.

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Director, the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, RCA
Rama Gheerawo is an international figure within design, business and innovation with nearly two decades of experience. He is a serial innovator in the fields of technology, products, services and transport with over 100 projects to his name. He works with government, industry and the public sector with a client list that includes Samsung, Toyota, P&G, Panasonic, Sony, Arthritis Research UK and the UK and Hong Kong governments – training around 400 civil servants for the latter on creativity and leadership. Currently he is co-leading a redesign of the London taxi.

lecture: The creative magic of working with people: Design in the 21st Century

Design is one of the most powerful professions in this century. It can change the world for the better and deal with society’s toughest issues. But how should designers engage with government, business and communities across the globe? Rama Gheerawo will share some answers drawing on two decades of experience working on socially inclusive design. The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design that he leads has completed around 300 projects with organisations such as Samsung, Unilever, Ford and the UK Government, and worked in the field with migrant workers and in Fukushima after the 2011 disaster.

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Thomas Gnahm is the founder of several initiatives and institutions like Trafo Pop, Fashion Hack Day and the wearable tech meetup in Berlin. Within his company Wear It Berlin together with his team he is currently organising the annual Wear it Festival that brings together the most creative minds, networks and companies surrounding the topic of fashion, design and tech. The government of Germany lately asked him to build up a professional network for medium sized companies called “Wear It Hub”. / www.wearit-berlin.com

lecture: Designers in wearable tech world

Designers in wearable tech world: Birding the gap between design, technology and science. Chances and challenges explained by the work of Wear It Berlin and the Wear It Festival. www.wearit-berlin.com

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Karin Langeveld is designer and co-founder of design studio Trapped in Suburbia and the Flags of Peace foundation. The studio has a characteristic playful way of designing in which originality is always the starting point. Their design philosophy is “Tell me and I'll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I’ll understand.” Karin's work is investigative, she sees challenges in the limitations and always aims to engage users. This way of working has resolved in many awards and the appointment as Creative Ambassador for the City of The Hague. She is regularly invited as a writer, judge and guest lecturer for Istanbul Design Week, Graphic Design Festival, University of Falmouth, Augsburg and Nanjing. / www.trappedinsuburbia.nl

lecture: This is Experience Design

In today’s world, design alone isn’t enough. Wherever you look, the technology is available to turn anyone into a designer. In other words, what was once a specialised craft that required years to learn has now been democratised. Whoever you are, wherever you are, you just need a laptop, WiFi, and the courage to throw a couple of ideas onto the Internet. If you’re lucky, those ideas will spark and fifteen seconds of fame will be yours. What you really need is the capacity to tell stories, to share ideas and experiences in a way that connects with your audience. The strength of an original idea is more necessary than ever.

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VR professional and VR360 film producer. Founder of Virtual Dream foundation. With the help of technology and virtual reality he fulfills the dreams of kids in oncology clinics, hospices and child care institutions. Promoter and seeker of the potential of new technologies and their usefulness to people. In his presentations he tries to speak about the two sides of the coin – how best to use virtual worlds, but also the risks of escaping too far from the real world. On an everyday basis he tries to balance time in the digital world with the time "in the open", so he sometimes wears VR goggles while travelling ;) Redditor, Imgurian; he misses snowboarding, being for 6 years without a holiday. / www.lojke.pl

lecture: Social innovation inspired by an escape from the real world – the potential and the risks of VR / AR in humanitarian and social exclusion terms

From the presentation you will learn about immersion and how it affects the perception of virtual worlds. How it can expand, improve and enable an escape from the real world. We will touch upon the risk of behavioural addiction and virtual alter ego, but above all focus on the space in which VR can do the most good – social and humanitarian. Medical support, recovery of mobility for paralyzed patients, controlling space with thought and fulfilling the dreams of small warriors in cancer clinics.

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Member of Anarchist Federation / Rozbrat Collective. Co-founder of “Ruchomości” Cooperative, which among other activities runs the “Zemsta” Club in Poznan (bookstores, cafes, food, galleries).

lecture: Anarchists vs design

Anarchists have always stood on the positions of defying the world order to guide society towards improvement. As the classic anarchist Mikhail Bakunin wrote – the joy of destruction is the joy of creation. We know the historical contexts of small and large revolutions, in which anarchists played a considerable role. What about today, in the world of vanity, posturing and excessive consumption? Hegemony of capitalism. Where is rebellion? Will it inspire the next revolution?

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Associate professor at the University of Silesia in Katowice. Psychologist of the Internet, work and organization, she connects these areas by studying the conditions and use of information technology in an organization and user experience (UX). She is also interested in the psychological aspects of online activity, primarily involvement in social media and e-learning. She familiarizes psychology students with new technologies, encourages the search for opportunities of psychology to interact with other fields and the application of design thinking and activities in the Human-Centered Design trend. Since 2008 she has been teaching an international summer LLP/Erasmus Intensive Programme Psychology of Entrepreneurship in Madrid, Prague and Rotterdam. She cooperates with representatives of various disciplines – engineers, computer scientists, medical doctors and designers, believing that psychology can help them in their work. / www.linkedin.com/in/patrycjarudnicka / www.us.edu.pl

lecture: Is design an attitude?

Attitudes always refer to ‘something’ – other people, opinions, things, and events. Attitudes are a reflection of knowledge and a relatively stable valuation of the given phenomenon, so consequently they tend to be qualitative – expressing preference or lack thereof, prompting pursuit or avoidance, openness or rejection. Attitudes divide and unite us, and through their influence on our actions they shape the reality around us. So what does it mean, to a psychologist, that design is an attitude? And what does this perspective change in the understanding of the design process and the role of the designer? Finally, what is this attitude (or attitudes) like?

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Radek Sidun devotes himself primarily to fonts and typography. His graduation thesis at the Prague Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design dealt with the issue of diacritics in world languages. As a result, he is a sought-after consultant to font designers and foundries world over. He is assistant professor at the Type Design and Typography studio of the Prague Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design (UMPRUM). He is also a member of editorial and design team of the TYPO9010 book. / www.briefcasetype.com/about/radek-sidun

lecture: Briefcase Type Foundry: Milestones in Czech Type Design

Briefcase offers original Czech productions by authors, who may not wish to set up their own type foundry for the purpose of publishing their fonts. It profiles itself as an independent type foundry, which is be able to offer a wide range of unique fonts, thanks to its extensive author portfolio. Briefcase digitises original font designs, offer original fonts by young authors and help publish older, previously unreleased fonts, created by typographers and graphic designers.

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Rupesh Vyas is professor of practice of visual communication design (information design) at Aalto University. Previously Vyas was senior faculty at National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, India, responsible for developing information and interaction design education. Vyas has two decades of experience as an educator, researcher and design practitioner. He has contributed significantly to a variety of major projects with national importance in India, including the 2011 census, rollout of the Multipurpose National Identity Card, and national level visual standards for Driver’s Licence. He is the World Regional Representative of International Institute of Information Design (IIID) in India.

lecture: Building attitudes for culturally diverse context of design

In today’s context of connected world, as graphic designers we need to be considerate to different cultural context in terms of visual language. How cultural sensitivities play important role in creation of visual communication material? How the empathetic view can enable bridge between analogous and digital communication? As graphic designers we have key role to play going beyond creating visually appealing and stunning visuals.

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Soft skill trainer, career counselor, manager. For many years she has studied effective interpersonal communication and trained others in public speaking. A person constantly in motion and pursuing personal development, which she encourages and motivates in people she works with.

workshop: Effective Communication

Effective communication. What makes communication effective, how are we perceived by others, what are our assets and deficiencies, how can we develop communication skills? Those questions will be answered during the workshop titled “Effective Communication”. Participants of the workshop will become acquainted with language of persuasion and will learn how to use it successfully, they will learn how to form assertive message and how to manage conflict situations.

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Entrepreneur, teacher of English and Spanish, soft skill trainer. Interested in teaching methodology, motivation, setting goals, forming good habits, and communication. Enthusiast of personal development workshops.

workshop: Communication and Collaboration

The aim of the workshop is to strengthen interpersonal communication skills, especially developing cooperation and understanding, both within a team and in professional and personal relations. The workshop will teach you to: adjust the message to different personality styles of your colleagues and identify your dominant communication style, which will also help you with self-presentation. Develop understanding and creative results in a team avoid communication barriers and distortions, to make cooperation more effective. Use specific communication tools to develop understanding and dialogue.