Graphic Stories Cyprus

4th consecutive Conference on Graphic Design and Visual Communication of Cyprus, Graphic Stories Cyprus, opens its doors for another creative weekend from 09 - 11 of March 2018. Graphic Stories Cyprus is an institution that has been established in the last four years in the field of visual communication but also to the consciousness of the creative professionals and students of Cyprus and abroad.

Lectures

In the 4th edition of Graphic Stories Cyprus, seven lectures will be hosted by important creative professionals from Cyprus and abroad, covering a wide range of Visual Arts, Visual Communication and Design. "The Data-Driven Communication and the WTF Moments" is the title of the lecture presented by the leader in technology, publishing and marketing, Stefanos Karagos, founder of XPLAIN. Panos Vassiliou, the award-winning font designer and founder of Parachute, will talk about the strong impact that fonts have when they become part of the brand identity and brand design, the title of his lecture "The Type that makes the Brand". Philip De Castan, a well-known designer and one of the first graphic designers to work in Cyprus, will be present for an open and sincere conversation with the public, answering questions and raising awareness about the present as well as the future of Visual Communication. "How to sell your work to the client when you are a creative professional working in the creative field" is the theme presented by Celine Cabannes, Head of Strategy and Marketing at CandyJar. Famous designer and illustrator Rob Snow will attempt a witty and humorous look at the life of a graphic artist through his speech titled "The Life of a Graphic Designer in 15mins". Melandros Ganas, comic book publisher and one of the founders of Comicdom Con Athens, and comic book designer and lecturer at the European University of Cyprus, Tasos Anastasiadis, will present the theoretical background of creating a complete comic book both in terms of scripting and design. Graphic Stories Cyprus in collaboration with Animafest Cyprus, present Animated Stories, a series of lectures, case studies and workshops aiming at the promotion and value of applied arts, illustration and animation. This year's first presentation titled "Interactive arts: from Graphic Design to Animation" will be presented by Andreas Rossidis, who specializes in 3D Modeling and Digital Sculpting.

The lectures will be held at the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation, in the "Andreas Patsalidis". Hall, on Friday 09 March 2018, starting at 16:00 and are offered for FREE.

Workshops

Three specialized workshops will be held during this year's event to provide an accumulated and professional level of knowledge and experience in relation to contemporary design and visual communication practices as well as a children's workshop. Famous designer and illustrator Rob Snow will be visiting Cyprus for the second consecutive year for the coordination of his two-day creative workshop on illustration, titled "Papers, Pencils and Pixels". The workshop will take place at the Aigaia School of Art & Design in Nicosia on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 of March from 10:00-13:00 & 14:00-17:00.

Nikos Gazetas, Visual Communication Designer and Adobe Certified Expert and Instructor will be the leader of the 2nd Workshop entitled "Using InDesign for Web Design" through which he will present the easy path from printed media to the Web. This workshop will take place at the Aigaia School of Art & Design in Nicosia on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 of March from 10:00-15:00.

The third workshop covers the creation of a complete comic book, including script and design, led by Melandros Ganas and Tassos Anastasiadis. The workshop will be held at the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation in Faneromeni on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 of March from 10:00-13:00 & 14:00-17:00

The number of participants per workshop is limited. Until 15 of February, early bird prices will be available, and by March 10, normal rates will apply. Book your tickets via the website: www.graphicstoriescyprus.com/ticket

Workshop for children

This year, for the first time, aiming to raise interest and awareness in relation to visual communication, as well as to the development of visual education in a larger part of the population and on the occasion of the international competition, "Writing, the Origins of Civilisation", there will be a workshop organised for school children aged 7-12 years old. The workshop will be managed by the illustrator Panagiota Michael and it will take place at the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation in Faneromeni on Saturday, March 10, 2018, during the hours 10:30-12:30, with a maximum number of 15 attendants. The participation fee for the children's workshop is €10 and bookings can be made through the website: www.graphicstoriescyprus.com/ticket

Exhibitions

"Writing, the Origins of Civilisation", is the title of the first exhibition that will include the distinguished artworks of the 2nd international poster competition organized by Graphic Stories Cyprus. The exhibition will be hosted by the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation, at Faneromeni. The contest attended 700 artists from 31 countries all over the world, including Cypriot designers, visual communication higher education students as well as high school students. The inauguration of the exhibition as well as the award ceremony for the winners will take place on Friday 09 of March, 2018, after the completion of the scheduled lectures, while the exhibition will remain open to the public until the 26 of March, 2018.

The second scheduled exhibition entitled "Animal Behavior" includes artworks by Rob Snow, inspired by his love for nature. With twists on the titles and clever use of wording, each image introduces an animal in an abstract, surreal or humorous scene of word play. As an accompanying aspect to the animal series, the exhibition also highlights several of Rob Snow caricatures of famous celebrities created for the Celebrity Sunday series. The exhibition will be hosted by Aigaia School of Art & Design in Nicosia. Along with the inauguration of the exhibition, which will be held on Saturday 10 of March 2018 at 20:00, the audience will have the opportunity to attend Rob Snow's lecture on copyright. Rob, an independent creative designer who sells artwork over the Internet for more than a decade, will comment on how certain aspects of the Print on Demand sale culture can be viewed and discussed to provide useful insights into the incredible and crazy path we call creative life on the internet. The exhibition will remain open to the public until 21 March 2018.

Graphic Stories Cyprus is held under the auspices of the Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Cyprus. The Conference is being held with the support of Bank of Cyprus and the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation. The prizes of the contest "Writing, the Origins of Civilisation" are offered by the Bank of Cyprus together with the Greek font company Parachute Fonts.

Official sponsors of the event are: Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Cyprus, Bank of Cyprus, Parachute Fonts, Kemanes Printshop.