Design 32: Best 2019 design diplomas of Polish academies of fine arts

The modern world if full of challenges, those we face and those we create ourselves. Some of them are taken up by the best young Polish designers who present their works at the ‘Design 32’ exhibition.

This year’s  review of diploma projects shows that young designers try to strike a balance between the virtual world and reality, between professional and private life, between past and present. A lot of the works explore the topic of relations with other people, with one’s own body and with nature. Relations are the keyword to this year’s edition.

The exhibition is the result of the best design diploma competition, organized by the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice for the 10th time. All Polish state academies of fine arts take part, entering their best diplomas of the year. The competition is one of its kind in Poland and after nine years it has attained a significant position among other events dedicated to design, boasting a collection of outstanding awardees.

Visit the exhibition at Rondo Sztuki Gallery

About the competition

The competition is inscribed in the idea of cooperation; much as our schools may compete with each other, we nevertheless cooperate in a lot of significant artistic and design projects.
Antoni Cygan, Rector of AFA Katowice

The designers at the start of their professional careers have been equipped by their universities with a set of knowledge, skills and competences, as stated in their documents. At the same time they are sensitive, inexperienced and trusful yourng people who want to respond to the challenges posed by the dynamic contemporary world.
Prof. Agata Danielak-Kujda

We are at a moment when it is exceptionally easy to predict the scope of interest of the future desigers. They are bound to be in the area of environmental damage and the attempts to protect nature. Still, we should let the cosmic chaos take its own course of action...
dr. hab. Damian Pietrek

Thanks to the passion and power of young creative minds, each year the review brings us positive surprises and numerous impressions. The diploma projects of former students – graduates now – are a source of our joy and satisfaction, and hope for the future.
Prof. Marian Oslislo

An important value of the competition is the opportunity for the young participants to confront their visions, and creating conditions for encountering different creative attitudes, ideas and ways of their implementation. This situation also allows them to verify their professional skills, knowledge and beliefs by setting them against other designers, and first of all by submitting their works form assessment in the competition.
prof. Mariusz Włodarczyk