A femur splits, and flowers burst through its clinical whiteness. Piano keys fracture into abstract daggers of black against a burning sunset. These visual lightning rods from designer Jan Šabach strike at something deeper. In his recent works, the Code Switch founder takes Margaret Mead’s observation about healed bones marking civilization’s dawn and Rachmaninoff’s notoriously challenging compositions, transforming them into stark metaphors that grab you by the collar and don’t let go.

By: Jan Šabach, Professor & Designer, Code Switch

Empathy

About the poster:

This is a submission to the Golden Bee Biennale. It was entered into their “Global Empathy” category, which is dedicated to the importance of empathy in design and life. 

Creative strategy:

“A healed femur is the earliest sign of civilization.” This quote by Margaret Mead was a conceptual foundation for this poster. The idea of helping others is an embodiment of empathy. The fine line of the letter E, written in elegant script, visually slices the strongest bone in the human body, creating a dramatic contrast. The colorful lushness of the flowers blooming from the letterform is in stark contrast to the dark background and the dry whiteness of the bone. It is a symbol of radiant hope sprouting from suffering.

Rachmaninoff 150

About the poster:

This is a poster to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Sergei Rachmaninoff. 

Creative strategy:

“Whatever you do, don’t you dare inflict bloody Rachmaninoff on him! He’s not ready!” This line from the movie Shine about Australian pianist David Helfgot, has always stayed with me. Rachmaninoff’s music is famously hard to play, and in the movie, David is driven to madness by Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 3. To celebrate the anniversary of the haunted immigrant, I chose an image of stylized broken fingers blending into the keys of a piano keyboard. They can belong to Rachmaninoff himself or anyone struggling to master his music. The colorful gradient that breaks up the black-and-white palette of piano keys symbolizes the magic of his music.

Note: I don’t always start a project with a quote in mind. It just somehow happened for these two posters. ☺

Jan Šabach is a Prague-born graphic designer and a creative director creating distinct brand identities, book covers, and posters for international clients and global causes. He has experience in leading design teams and working directly with clients. Jan’s work has been honored by numerous international design awards and is consistently showcased in leading design magazines and publications worldwide such as Graphis, Communication Arts, Print, AIGA, and Type Directors Club. 

Currently, Jan runs Code Switch, a graphic design studio in Northampton, Massachusetts, and teaches graphic design at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He likes to dedicate a portion of his time to projects that raise awareness about critical social issues.

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