Visual Communication conerns us all!

The 8th International Conference on Visual Communication, Graphic Stories, was held with great success, on March 18-20, in Nicosia, on the topic of Tolerance. This year’s Graphic Stories included eight [8] lectures, three [3] creative workshops, an [1] international poster exhibition featuring designers from Cyprus and abroad, and an [1] interactive installation.

Graphic Stories – Among the best festivals of Europel, by EFA

Graphic Stories has been selected in the best festivals in Europe by the European Festivals Association [EFA] and was awarded the honorary seal of quality of Europe EFFE Label for the period 2019-2021. The Conference was also awarded for innovation and ingenuity, with the special badge “Badge of Invention”, while it also received the special distinction “Remarkable Arts Festival” for 2021, ranking it among the top European arts and culture events.

International Poster Exhibition on “TOLERANCE”

Since the era of the European Enlightenment, tolerance has emerged as a necessary feature for the harmonious coexistence of people and is a consequence of the anthropocentric ideas of freedom, democracy, equality, equity, and the timeless struggles to eliminate all forms of discrimination, social, racial, nationalist, for the freedom of speech and thought.

Tolerance is about our willingness to allow people to think, express and act even in ways that we do not agree with. Tolerance for everything different, for different thoughts or ideas, has as its goal the creative approach and progress, both individually and collectively. Tolerance is the springboard for a society free of bigotry, intolerance, racism, nationalism and all forms of discrimination and social inequality. It is at the same time the cornerstone of cultivating mutual respect and solidarity, cooperation and consensus and the antidote to marginalization and social exclusion.

Inauguration of the 6th International Poster Exhibition & TOLERANCE Awards Ceremony

The Inauguration of the 6th International Poster Exhibition & the TOLERANCE Awards Ceremony were performed by the Municipal Councillor of Nicosia, Mr. Chrysanthos Fakas, on Friday, March 18th. At the same time, it was a great honor for the Honorable Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ms. Annita Dimitriou, to convey her own message about TOLERANCE, through a video that was presented to the public during the inauguration.

This was followed by the awarding of prizes to the six [6] winners of the 6th Graphic Stories International Poster Competition and a poster exhibition featuring the 50 distinguished posters of the competition framed by 15 works by acclaimed designers. The competition received a total of 1420 entries from 45 countries, a new record number for the event, which makes the competition a global reference point for visual communication and the € 43,000 prizes offered by Alexander College & Frederick University as well as Parachute Typefoundry.

Winners & Prizes

International Awards:

Category: International Distinction for Professional Visual Communication Designers
1st Prize
Winner: Garibay Pedraza Yolanda, from Mexico
Prize: Parachute fonts from Parachute Typefoundry

Category: International Award for Visual Communication Higher Education Students
1st Prize
Winner: Yuqi Zhao, from China
Prize: Parachute fonts from Parachute Typefoundry

Cypriot Distinctions:

Category: Cypriot Distinction for Higher Education Students
1st Prize
Winner: Chrystaleni Iakovou
Prize: a full scholarship in any postgraduate field the winner wishes, offered by Alexander College.

2nd Prize
Winner: Andria Nikolaou
Prize: a 30% scholarship for the Visual Art graduate program, offered by Frederick University.

Category: Cyprus Distinction for High School and Technical School Students
1st Prize
Winner: Kyriaki Charalambous
Prize: a full scholarship in any undergraduate field the winner wishes, offered by Alexander College.

2nd Prize
Winner: Konstantinos Kontargiris
Prize: a 30% scholarship for the Visual Communication undergraduate program, offered by Frederick University.

The prizes of the winners are created and offered by the company OXRA Design Studio and Christos Grigoriadis. The design of the prizes is based on the vision of “TOLERANCE” designed by Aggeliki Athanasiadi.

Visual Identity of the 8th International Conference on Visual Communication “TOLERANCE

The central idea of ​​the visual identity of the conference is based on the theme of the international poster competition which is “Tolerance”. The basic colors of the identity are black and yellow, complemented by white and gray. The main point of reference of the design is an imaginary trilogy which is created by eight dots and an “X” which symbolizes the difference, but also vice versa by eight “X” and a dot. In a world consisting of dots there is an “X” which on one hand breaks the uniformity and at the same time it gives substance and meaning to the whole. Due to the international character of the conference, I chose to use simple and neutral symbols that do not refer to any kind of organized groups, social, ideological, religious, political or other. This way I wanted to put the issue of tolerance on a neutral and free basis and to promote the diversity of the social dialogue I want to start. ” – Aggeliki Athanasiadi

All conference activities will take place at Frederick University, Nicosia.
Address: Gianni Frederikou 7, 1036, Nicosia

Important clarifications

The Conference will be held live, while there will be a live streaming for online attendance of the lectures. In case of change of sanitary measures all actions [lectures & workshops] will be carried out online.

All measures will be strictly observed based on the decisions of the Ministry of Health.

Ticket reservations: www.graphicstoriescyprus.com/tickets

The Graphic Stories aims to cultivate visual literacy and the perceptual development of critical thinking about contemporary visual arts and related issues, both locally and internationally. The organization of exhibitions, conferences and workshops aimes at demonstrating and promoting the value of visual communication to the general public, the creation of culture and values as well as its connection with what is happening in the social field.

Conference venue:
Frederick University, Nicosia

The scholarships & prizes of the competition are offered by:
Alexander College, Frederick University, Parachute Typefoundry

Media Sponsors:
Boussias Cyprus, Newspaper Politis, Radio Politis 107.6FM, RIK, Digital Tree, Ergodotisi

With the support of:
The Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education & Culture

Support:
Youth Board of Cyprus – YBC & Cyprus Computer Society

Under the auspices:
of the Municipality of Nicosia and the Association of Graphic Designers of Catalonia

More information: www.graphicstoriescyprus.com
Tickets: https://graphicstoriescyprus.com/tickets/
Video Intro