Katarína Plačková: Design May Be The Voice of Change

Katarína Plačková (1996) is a graphic designer focusing on sustainable solutions and biodegradable materials in design. She graduated from the Department of Visual Communication at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava (2017 – 2023) and worked abroad for some time. At Mendel University in Brno, Plačková gained knowledge in waste manage ment and circular economy. She put her experience to good use in  the graduation projects Plantapeel and Reconnected. She works on sustainable innovations in producing cotton materials and is a doctoral  student at the Academy of Fine Arts (AFAD). For the project Reconnected, she won the Slovak Design Center’s Special Award as a partner of  the initiative New European Bauhaus at the Slovak Design Award 2024.

We have already talked a lot about the project Reconnected since I  was your thesis consultant. But now we have the opportunity to present its purpose and development to Designum readers. What led you to focus on the material instead of standard design outputs?

Materials are a key medium for me — they reflect values, attitudes, and relationships to the world around us. As a designer, I see a lot of waste from exhibitions that is not recycled and unused. We are surrounded daily by degraded disposable objects, packaging, and promotional materials that are just the backdrop to our consumer reality. During my studies at AFAD, my values were gradually turned inside out. I remember doubting my choice of study until my teacher, Peter Nosáľ, advised me that my design may be connected to nature and does not have to be commercial. This advice motivated me to take an approach that fulfills me, and I hope it inspires someone else. I started looking  for a way to combine communication design with sustainable materials. Together with Adriána Ondrušová, we created the project Plantapeel — products and packaging made from biodegradable mono materials. However, we realized that importing ecomaterials from abroad is not sustainable. That is how the idea of using local resources, which we have at home, was born. I decided to look for sustainable solutions, give  materials a second chance, and prevent the creation, which results in them becoming waste after a short while.

What is the main purpose of the project Reconnected, and what does its name express?

he name captures the essence of the project: combining nature, technology, and design into a harmonious and sustainable ecosystem. Each element plays an important role, resulting in a symbiosis that finds its use in visual communication. In the project Reconnected, I focused on creating a regenerative biocom posite material that designers can use as an innovative and environmentally sustainable medium. I wanted to bring practical solutions that push the boundaries of traditional thinking about materials while stimulating a discussion about a conscious  approach to design, too. We should combine knowledge, experience (especially with what doesn’t work), scientific knowledge, and technology to create new systems that consider our needs and the needs of the environment surrounding us.

The full article can be found in Designum magazine 4/2024 on p. 4. More information about the Designum magazine.