Marta Savignano graduated from UMPRUM in 2022. She studied in the master’s programme at the Graphic Design and Visual Communication Studio in English under the supervision of Petr Krejzek. She loves books, but at the same time, she is looking for other ways to apply graphic design than just on paper.

My way of working is usually very free and open. Perhaps the word that best describes it is undisciplined. Discipline is an ingrained concept in graphic design practice. It means a set of rules and canons that graphic designers must follow to succeed and be "in". Discipline defines our standardisation codes. Taking a looser approach and failing in the design process, in my opinion, opens up a spectrum of new possibilities.

THE GLOSSY GLOSSARY OF DRAG

The television show RuPaul's Drag Race has become a worldwide phenomenon in recent years. As a result, drag and queer slang, colloquialisms, and phrases have contaminated popular culture and in some contexts have become mainstream. My thesis attempts to trace the past, present, and future of the drag and queer phenomenon through words and images in the form of an experimental queer glossary. The intention was to create an educational tool while celebrating drag as an art form and its excessiveness and queerness.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT UMPRUM?

Studying at UMPRUM was a challenging and very rewarding experience. Probably the best part was that a lot of our studio assignments were commissions for real clients. It's great and fulfilling to see that your work is not just an exercise for which you get a grade, but that it can be applied and used in the real world. Another thing I really liked was the overall atmosphere of the school and a contagious inspiration and creativity you get from other students, even from other studios. 

HOW IS UMPRUM DIFFERENT FROM YOUR PREVIOUS SCHOOL?

My previous school was good... but nothing compared to UMPRUM. UMPRUM has its history and it was a great honor for me to be a part of it. The school gave me the opportunity to visualize and conceptualize some of my projects. The workshops, the facilities, and the qualified professors really enabled me to do that.

Famufest – Spektrum
Design of the visual identity of the 37th Famufest.

Marta Savignano is a 25-year-old graphic designer from Italy. She completed her bachelor’s studies in Italy at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Udine. She then decided to move to the Czech Republic and continue her studies at UMPRUM, where she graduated from the Graphic Design and Visual Communication Studio in 2022. As a graphic designer, she is most attracted to the field of publishing. This is probably thanks to her father, who is a bookworm. Marta, therefore, grew up amongst a lot of books and tons of paper. She is fascinated by the application of graphic design to clothing, jewellery, and other media.

Umprum
Promotional material for Umprum Prague. Posters, banners, and leaflets.

Vakuum
A vacuum is a dimension completely devoid of matter, or a space from which most of the air has been removed. Vacuum is a series of earrings made of plexiglass. Packed in vacuum bags.

The article was created as part of the project Priorities of the Czech Presidency, supported by the Centralized Development Projects of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Czech Republic.