2010 marks the bicentennial anniversary of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s (1749 – 1832) Theory of Colours. To celebrate, the Society of Hungarian Graphic Designers & Typographers (MATT) launched the international Goetherie competition. A wide array of posters, logotypes, publications and typographic works were submitted by some of Hungary’s most accomplished graphic designers with the 50 best entries being showcased at Graphifest 2010 in the Budapest Design Terminal. ARTS THREAD shares some of its favourite entrants..

We loved Timea Andorka’s submissions which dabble with Goethe’s studies of coloured shadow phenomenon. Szinprofil is a three dimensional poster produced using a single folded piece of coloured paper and a piece of tape which, when lit from the correct angle, creates a shadow resembling Goethe’s head in profile. Similar techniques are employed in her Optika and Kromatika pieces, a set of typographic images which use folded paper and plastic to create dazzling lights and shadows.

Taking a more literal, figurative approach, Károly Horányi takes Kügelgen’s portrait of Goethe juxtaposed with technical drawings lifted from the Theory of Colours. Similarly, Gergely Kádár takes another image of the writer and frames his face within the Goethe colour wheel. However, there is something rather sinister about Gergely’s piece: the lifeless eyes, hidden pentagrams and shapes connoting devil horns could be read as a reaction to Goethe’s anti-church stance.

Dániel Nagy’s playful entry Szubjektiv Kifesto is a simple colour-by-numbers affair which results in a Warhol-esque plethora of multicoloured Goethe’s.

Kristóf Komíves’ abstract posters Emoll & Edúr draw inspiration from Goethe’s derived laws of colour harmony, linking complementary colours to sound (the major and minor key), creating a synaesthetic image.

Finally, Anna Farkas produced two 70cm x 100cm posters, each containing excerpts from the Colour Theory, which have been typeset in a font so minute it is barely visible to the naked eye (thankfully, a magnifying glass was provided). Containing 419,965 characters in the first poster, Anna highlights the colours mentioned throughout the text (roughly 6000) to create an incredibly intricate optical illusion.

Society of Hungarian Graphic Designers & Typographers (MATT)

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