The Aetna creative agency will once again provide the visual style for Brno Christmas. Credit: KK / BD.
Brno, 3 Nov (BD) – Every year, TIC BRNO considers how to capture the essence of Christmas in a visual style, along with the winner of a public tender competition. This year, as last year, the winner was the creative agency Aetna, with the distinctive slogan “The second best Christmas in the world – right after the one at your house.” This year, Brno’s Christmas decor will use augmented reality for the first time.
“We liked last year’s slogan so much that we wanted to keep it,” said Jana Janulíková, director of TIC BRNO. “So we continued our cooperation with Aetna and developed the concept even more. This time, we wanted the poster to recall at first glance the homely atmosphere, the warmth of Christmas, freshly baked Christmas cookies, the smell of star anise, cinnamon and pine needles.”
Aetna invited Vendula Pucharová Kramářová from PECKA fashion to create this year’s visual, and she brought her typical ornamental style to the project. “Vendula studied at FAVU in Brno and her work is mainly inspired by nature and folklore motifs,” explained Michal Rožek, the agency’s long-time ideamaker. “Our intention is to reach artists who are connected to Brno in some way for the creation of Christmas visuals in the coming years as well.”
Caption: Vendula Pucharová Kramářová from PECKA fashion designed this year’s visuals in her typical ornamental style.
The pattern features sliced apples, oranges, gingerbread and other candies arranged around a central carp or Christmas tree. The original artwork thus foregrounds the gastronomic side of the holidays with the artistic motifs used.
“The visual is so eye-catching that it would be a shame not to allow visitors to the Brno Christmas to look at it with even more eyes,” added Janulíková. “Aetna excited us with the idea of bringing the posters to life with augmented reality, with technology that you will not find anywhere else in the Czech Republic. You will be able to try a small sample from 1 November, and the full version will be in operation from 17 November. You can only find posters with special QR codes in the centre of Brno, so visit the markets and try this gadget out.”
Augmented reality allows a virtual scene to be displayed over the background of the real environment, through the camera of a smart device. Helena Lukášková, head of the FI MU Graphic Design and Multimedia Studio, and Takhmina Sadykova, an FI MUNI graduate and 3D artist from Kazakhstan, collaborated on the project.
The musical jingle of Brno Christmas is also new, and will be accompanied by animated Christmas posters. It was written by Tomáš Kelar, member of the music group MIDI LIDI and artistic director of the Pop Messe music festival, and musician, producer and multimedia artist Ondřej Mikula.
Visitors to Brno Christmas will also find the new visual style in this year’s collection of TIC BRNO Christmas souvenirs, which includes chocolates, mints, tins, pancakes, and canvas bags, and is available at TIC BRNO info centres, at the Christmas TIC BRNO stand on Náměstí Svobody, and on the website www.darkyzbrna.cz.
