Slovak Design Award 2022: The Most Prestigious Slovak Design Award Launches a New Edition!

The Slovak Design Award (NCD), a nationwide competition and the highest recognition in the field of design in Slovakia, is opening its next edition and continuing its tradition of supporting and showcasing exceptional Slovak design. The competition, which celebrated its 19th anniversary in 2022, is established as a stable and respected platform that significantly promotes Slovak designers and manufacturers, helping them succeed both domestically and internationally. The NCD also encourages collaboration between professional designers, manufacturers, and clients, systematically maps the development of design in Slovakia, and actively contributes to design research and professional journalism.

Educational videos introducing art to children, a publication intended to guide students in their graphic practice, a Montessori-inspired book, or a new visual identity for the city of Nitra — all of this can be found among the winning works of the best communication design from 2020 and 2021.

The awarded projects, together with a selection of entries, can be viewed at the ongoing exhibition of the National Design Award 2022 in the Satelit Design Gallery until 18 December 2022. The 19th edition of the most prestigious showcase of Slovak design has announced its winners.

In this year’s competition, devoted to the best communication design from 2020 and 2021, a total of 10 main awards, 4 personality awards, and 2 special mentions were presented during a gala evening on 18 October 2022 at Nová Scéna Theatre. A recording of the ceremony will be released during the week.

Altogether, 380 projects were submitted across 11 categories: Campaign, Identity, Books & Publications, Digital, Animation & Video, Space, Type, Packaging & Object, Poster & Visual, Student Design, and New Horizons. During the summer, an international jury selected 146 works for the exhibition, of which 43 received nominations.

“Every year we see a rising quality in the submitted works for the National Design Award. This edition confirms that fact as well. It is wonderful to see the world-class concepts Slovak designers are able to produce. We are proud to support the NCD as general partner of the Slovak Design Center, and through this we support talented designers who make Slovakia’s name known abroad,” said Anna Macaláková, CEO of J&T Bank Slovakia.

The award trophy was designed by graphic designer Martin Bajaník, based on the year’s overall visual identity, and produced using 3D printing. The production method was inspired by the exhibition Materialists, presented earlier this year in the Satelit Design Gallery, which explored material and design possibilities of 3D print. The awards were manufactured by Rapidnext from grey-tinted PLA bioplastic (a corn-starch-based thermoplastic). Each piece required 162 g of material and over 17 hours of printing.

During the gala ceremony, viewers also saw an interactive kinetic object ORB – The Eye, by Roman Mackovič, which transformed into the main visual motif of the event’s identity.

NATIONAL DESIGN AWARD 2022 – COMMUNICATION DESIGN

Main Awards in Categories

• Student Design: Study of Studies by Kristína Uličná – a book offering insight into the minds and practices of Slovak graphic designers and studios, aimed at guiding students in their future careers.

• Special Student Award: Ohnivko by Adrián Gubrica – an interactive online app teaching first aid through gamification and microlearning.

• Space: Qbeceda – Exhibition Stand for Qubus Design Studio by Matúš Buranovský – visual style and stand design at Designblok 2021, featuring a custom alphabet adapted for porcelain tiles.

• Animation & Video: Art Warm-Up (Výtvarná rozcvička) by Veronika Obertová, Michaela Čopíková / Ové Pictures and collaborators – a cycle of animated educational videos introducing digitized artworks to children through creative workshops.

• Type: UK Sans by Ondrej Jób – a modern sans-serif typeface created for Comenius University in Bratislava, rooted in the classical Roman Capitalis Monumentalis.

• Campaign: DAAD Festival Posters 2021 by Matúš Buranovský – abstract visuals reimagining architectural details, displayed across 56 city locations.

• Identity: Visual Identity of the City of Nitra by Martin Kahan, Andrej Barčák, Andrej Čanecký – a flexible visual system combining logotype, heraldic symbol, and historical Glagolitic-inspired typeface.

• Digital: Ikony web-doc by Mateusz Słowakiewicz, Paweł Ratajczyk, Lucia Mlynčeková – an interactive documentary about Slovak modernist architecture, accessible to an international audience.

• Books & Publications: ExEdition by Palo Bálik & Michal Tornyai – six cloth-bound volumes commemorating 30 years of KK Bagala publishing house.

• Special Book Award: Earthworms (Dážďovky) by Boris Meluš, text by Lucia Šukolová – a Montessori-inspired interactive children’s book.

• Poster & Visual: Flags for Bratislava City Library by Ové Pictures and collaborators – colorful flag installation exploring loneliness and the library as a meeting place.

• New Horizons: No award was given in this category.

PERSONALITY AWARDS

• New Talent: Matúš Hnát – freelance graphic designer known for posters, identities, and independent cultural projects.

• Established Designer: Michal Tornyai – type designer, typographer, educator, and co-founder of Risomat.

• Lifetime Economic Contribution to Design: Čierne diery – civic association known for reviving overlooked industrial heritage and creating a collectors’ phenomenon of risographic prints and bestselling publications.

• Lifetime Cultural Contribution to Design: Miroslav Cipár (1935–2021) – illustrator, painter, typographer, sculptor, agitator of Slovak visual culture, and key figure of the 1989 Velvet Revolution.

Exhibition Duration

06 October – 18 December 2022

Organizers: Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic & Slovak Design Center
General Partners: J&T Banka, Antalis
Main Media Partner: Designum
Venue: Satelit Design Gallery, Bratislava

(Plus full contact list of organizers, media partners, sponsors as provided in the original.)