Her diploma work provoked considerable discussion among the jury about the conventions of designing wine labels. The jury leaned towards accepting the break with the traditional scheme, which can be observed for instance in the South American market. The designs of the labels and posters promoting the Polish wine company from the Kazimierz Dolny area draw stylistic inspiration from folk kilims and wicker products. The attractive visual motifs created in this way consist of both abstract and representational elements. Everything is screen-printed using gold paint.
Not using standard – photographic or graphic – realistic depictions of bottles and glasses on the advertising posters was, given the made assumptions, a correct decision. The author emphasizes however that “in order to discover the virtues of this exceptional beverage, you need more than a photographic reproduction or brief contact (with a poster). Wine has to be given attention, thought about, approached and tasted”.
Her professional career started when she created another important design. Directly after her studies, Pyza began to collaborate with Muchomor publishing house. “Together with Jacek Ambrożewski I created the book XY. It’s a small publication but I learned a lot making it” – says the graphic artist.
Joanna Rudniańska’s book XY won the main award at the 5th Halina Skrobiszewska Children’s Literature Competition in 2012 and was put on the Treasure List of the Children’s Book Museum. Pyza's graphic design for this book was also nominated for an IBBY award in the Book of the Year 2012 category. XY is the story of Hania X and Hania Y, a pair of twins born before the war. As toddlers, the girls were adopted by two different families. One of the girls was taken in by a Jewish family, the other by a Polish one. The fates of the little Hanias took different courses when World War II entered their childhoods. This book, a very personal work by Joanna Rudniańska, was dedicated to her mother, who was the inspiration behind one of the Hanias.
Emilia Pyza compares designing illustrations and books to designing cars, which is what she once wanted to do. “Now, when I make a book, I take a similar approach, a book is supposed to work well and look good”.
It’s hard for her to point to something that links all of her designs. She emphasizes that each design is a response to a certain task.
The function comes first and the form, in a certain sense, follows the function. But I can say that I often create modular designs based on recurring elements which are very precise. It’s clear that most people won’t notice these nuances, but I simply like when everything is neat. I think I like geometry more and more, not in the plastic sense but in the sense of construction. Nevertheless some things have to be crooked or dirty. Every design is different.
In the beginning I used to draw princesses, patterns and write my first letters. Later I encountered the works of great artists and earned money from art for the first time. Afterwards I went to the Academy of Fine Arts. I think that’s when it really started. I recently discovered that the cover of my first textbook was made by Lech Majewski. That’s the reason behind it all – says the artist.
Professor Lech Majewski was the supervisor of the artist’s diploma work at the Academy of Fine Arts.
Awards:
2012
- main award at the 5th Halina Skrobiszewska Children’s Literature Competition for the graphic design of the book XY by Joanna Rudniańska
- nomination for an IBBY award in the Book of the Year 2012 category for the graphic design of the book XY by Joanna Rudniańska
- ArtNobel 2012 award at the 4th Miasto Gwiazd Interdisciplinary Art Festival
- distinction at the Graduation Projects 2012 competition organized by the quarterly 2+3D
2011
- distinction at the international competition Youth in Europe for the poster Mare Nostrum
- distinction at the competition VIDICAL 2011 in the calendar category for a calendar design
Exhibitions
2014
- "Polish Job" Milan / Italy
- "Polish Job" Łódź / Poland
2013
- "Graduation Projects 2012" Prague / the Czech Republic
2012
- "The Promotion of a Regional Wine Brand" / "Promocja regionalnej marki winiarskiej", an individual exhibition, Janowiec / Poland
- "Graduation Projects 2012" Berlin / Germany
- "Graduation Projects 2012" Cieszyn / Poland
- "Warmia the Rebellion of Design" / "Warmia Rebelia Designu", Reszel / Poland
- "Coming Out the Best Diploma Works of the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts" / "Coming Out Najlepsze Dyplomy ASP w Warszawie", Warsaw / Poland
- The 4th Miasto Gwiazd Interdisciplinary Art Festival, Żyradów / Poland
- “Best Design Diplomas 2012” / "Najlepsze Dyplomy Projektowe 2012" Katowice / Poland
2011
- "The Faces of Racism Revealed", Ljubljana / Slovenia 2011
2010
- 5th European Poster Biennial “Youth in Europe”, Anklam / Germany 2010
- "Drawings from Graphics" / "Rysunki z Grafiki", Łazienkowska Gallery of Young Creators, Warsaw / Poland 2010
2009
- "POWER vs. POVERTY", Skopje / Macedonia 2009
Author: Katarzyna Zacharska, November 2014
Transl. MK