Anymade Studio’s lively exhibition identity for Jiří Thýn compliments the artist’s exploratory work

Czech artist Jiří Thýn often explores the interdisciplinary possibilities of photography in his work – combining traditional techniques with contemporary conceptual approaches including installation, painting, text and video. Following on from his earlier exhibition, ‘Archetypes, Space, Abstraction,’ Thýn returned to Prague City Gallery a decade later with ‘Silence, Torso, the Present.’ To bring it to life, he worked closely with Prague-based interdisciplinary graphic design studio Anymade; collaborating on a fitting identity for the exhibition. Discussing their work, Co-founders Petr Cabalka and Filip Nerad explained to us that Thýn was greatly inspired by the interwar avant-garde sculptor Hana Wichterlová (1903-1990) and the simple forms, organicity, dynamism and internal integrity of her four sculptures. “We tried to find a way to reflect the exhibition’s title – directly, intuitively, and aesthetically,” they tell us. The eye-catching identity perfectly compliments the exhibition’s fresh and conceptual approach, led by Grilli Type’s personality-driven workhorse serif GT Alpina. The bookish typeface, showcasing distinct details such as prominent ball terminals and contrasting line widths, was perfect for the studio’s vision. “We wanted to use a traditional serif font which would have a feeling of contemporary typography,” they note. This is paired with the gallery’s custom sans serif Magger – designed by type foundry and fellow Prague-based company Displaay in a previous project.