Gábor Palotai is an acclaimed figure of the international design and art scene. The graphic designer and visual artist representing a unique style winning a new award every year has almost become a tradition by now. This time we present his poster series designed for Stockholm-based restaurant Videgård, earning him his 28th Red Dot award.
Gábor Palotai grew up in a creative environment, which according to him, shaped the entire course of his life. He started his studies at Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, and continued to educate himself in Sweden later on. He has been living and creating there ever since. “My moving to Sweden was by actually by chance. I got an opportunity to showcase by diploma project at an exhibition in Stockholm right after I graduated, and later I applied to the Swedish Royal Academy of Fine Arts and to Beckmans College of Design, where I was admitted instantly. Then after a few years in school I decided to stay in Stockholm. Then came the jobs, the tasks, and I slowly got into an intensive career launch. Nevertheless I still return to Budapest regularly, I have had several group and solo exhibitions there” – Gábor told us.
His works are influenced immensely by cinema and literature – his unique visual language is characterized by mixing perspectives of design and art. “I think there are no boundaries between art and design: for me, it is always the context that determines whether something is design or art” – Gábor added.
This creative approach can be observed also in the case of the visual elements designed for Videgård restaurant. The enquiry arrived from Erik Videgård, a prominent and acclaimed figure of Swedish gastronomy, whom Gábor has worked with on several projects for years.
The restaurant located in central Stockholm represents the so-called nikkei cuisine (Japanese-Peruvian fusion), offering a gourmet, intimate and at the same time very special experience to guests. Videgård’s ambience also echoes on the clean design of the poster series: the posters feature chopstick silhouettes arranged into abstract, geometric compositions, symbolizing the poetry of theculinary arts of the Far East.
“Cooking is a form of artistic self-expression from several aspects, regardless of whether it is paired up with complex or simple flavors. Even though chopsticks are banal objects in themselves, in this form they have a dramatic and poetic effect” – Gábor highlighted. “The illustrations created this way lend a more subdued environment to the restaurant, allowing for the diversity of guests: this is why I decided to create the posters in a black & white, monochrome shade.” – he added.
The poster series will be complemented by additional visual elements, including the logo of the restaurant, the line of patterns placed on the various wall surfaces of the interior, animation films and visual illustrations as well as the clothing of the staff and creative communication elements displayed on the various online platforms.
Gábor Palotai’s full poster series will be available on Red Dot’s website from October, when the award ceremony will take place together with an exhibition. The good news is that the pieces of the series will be available for ordering from Videgård restaurant.
Gábor Palotai | Web | Facebook | Instagram | Behance
Videgård restaurant | Web | Facebook | Instagram
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