Europe - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 2013 - 70 Euro Cent

"Wertzeichen Europa" is to a certain extent the remake of the competition for ideas from the year 2011 ("Austria brand"), again a cooperation between the daily newspaper "Die Presse" and the Austrian Post AG in the form of a media series, for which twenty profiled visual designers were invited, graphically elaborated designs corresponding to the topic. The results were presented in the print editions of the "Press" and finally judged by an expert jury. The reflection on Europe is as old as Europe itself. A specific kind of reflection has been part of the essence of Europe since the time of the modern era, at the same time reflecting on it. This long tradition and intense debate finds its immensely rich expression in European science, the arts and philosophy. Self-criticism forms an essential element and a kind of constant that also belongs to the European identity, however different it is interpreted at different times. Against this background, the project "Wertzeichen Europa" deals with this time-honored and thus sometimes burdened topic in a specific way, namely "practical" in the form of concrete proposals. Precisely because the discussion about European values ​​is usually conducted with reference to abstract concepts, substantive and creative approaches are sought in the context of this competition, which substantiate aspects of this European identity. In this respect, the title takes a deliberate ambiguity, because the current situation is not just about values, but also about how much they are ultimately worth as securities and stamps. The deliberately strikingly chosen subtitle "20 reasons to love Europe" is meant to signal that in the context of this competition a fundamentally positive, subjective, but also exemplary approach to the topic of Europe is sought, although "positive" does not exclude a critical perspective. The winning design of the ideas competition mentioned at the beginning comes from Bruce Mau Design / Elvira Barriga. On her creative graphic titled "Diversity in Unity", she says: "For me, Europe is above all vibrant diversity in the smallest of spaces. Historically grown, mixed, rooted. Freedom, democracy, solidarity. Education and culture. - Historic and contemporary typographic set pieces combine with the colors of European national flags. The nested, dense arrangement consciously faces the immediate readability. The design aims to entice, discover and decode aesthetically. The design takes time. Like the project Europe. "