Seeking to understand the Czech 'Identity'? Just follow the signs

Why did a simple smiley face become the symbol of the Velvet Revolution? What’s the story behind the quirky ‘pooping man’ icon that graced the early days of the Prague metro? And how did a prototype of the Czech tricolor end up looking like the Texas state flag?

A new exhibit at Prague’s Kampa Museum, its largest in nearly a decade, brings together a century of Czechoslovak design—posters, books, signage, flags, and ‘zines—encapsulating wars, revolutions, and profound changes in the nation’s history.

Spread across three floors, Identity: The Story of Czech Graphic Design (on through Feb. 2, 2025) represents an ambitious and comprehensive project—a traveling exhibition, feature-length documentary, Czech Television series, and book, the English-language companion of which, has just been released.

The brainchild of typographer and educator Filip Blažek and design theorist Linda Kudrnovská, the project explores a legacy unparalleled in the world. Speaking at a recent event for the English-language book launch, Kudrnovská noted that no other nation boasts such a graphic design lineage.

Despite its rich history, Czech graphic design remains underappreciated both at home and abroad, with many of its trailblazing figures receiving little recognition outside professional circles. The project—and its accompanying English-language edition—aims to shed light on these unsung heroes, offering readers unfamiliar with Czech history an introduction to the country’s remarkable contributions to the graphic arts from typography to handwriting.

The ground floor of the exhibit offers a lens into how design mirrored history: Prototypes of the flag Nazi propaganda morphing seamlessly into Communist propaganda, often at the hands of the same designers.

Another display shows the origin story of Václav Havel’s Civic Forum logo—a scribble created in a last-ditch effort to meet a competition deadline, which improbably became the winning design.

The story epitomizes the Czech penchant for ingenuity under pressure, a trait echoed in the underground samizdat magazines and secretive reproductions that are also part of the exhibit. Star-bedecked early prototypes of the Czech flag hang in the same space, illustrating the challenges of representing a nation—visually and symbolically.

In a gallery devoted to signage, visitors can trace the development of Prague’s metro system, a landmark of modern urban planning. Jiří Rathouskýs 1970s wayfinding system, whose principles remain intact today, underscores the vital role of graphic design in public spaces. As in cities like London and Paris, Prague’s metro design has become an urban icon.

Despite the socialist economy’s constraints and minimal interaction with foreign systems—isolated within Czechoslovakia, designers lacked exposure to global trends— Rathousky’s designs have stood the test of time, quirks included: note the “pooping man” pictogram for a coin changer, a curious artifact of the era.

The exhibit also invites visitors to explore how Czech design has not only influenced but elevated everyday life, from toys to hiking trails, book covers to movie posters, city branding, and even the contemporary gastronomy scene. One of the book’s most surprising sections chews on the ways in which design has served the country’s food scene, bringing a fresh aesthetic to branding, menus, and interiors.

Graphic design “possesses a power often unnoticed,” the authors of Identity write; those who explore the arresting visuals found in this beautifully curated book and exhibition may wholeheartedly disagree.