Client: Boxday, 2024
In this book from 1920, the word robot (from the Czech word robota) was first used, which is now used all over the world. Rossum Universal Robots was a factory for robots that were supposed to help people at work and make their lives easier.
More than 100 years ago, Karel Čapek was able to imagine a world that is today in many aspects real and quite natural. Many futuristic ideas from the past are now surpassed, and the question arises whether there are any limits to fulfilling the craziest human fantasies.
I had the task of translating this concept of a "utopian future" into graphics. I knew right away that I would try to portray it - whatever it was - in a retro-futuristic style. Shiny surfaces, aerodynamic shapes, symmetry, fluorescent colors. I had never drawn anything like this before. I was looking forward to it all the more.
The symbolic vision of the future, which today may seem like science fiction (a flying train, a robot dog, a second Sun in our solar system...) only reminds us that what was described as speculative fiction in 1920 is today's everyday reality. Just as Karel Čapek imagined the world of 2024, our imaginations can one day become real.
This concept naturally supports the claim of Slovenská sporiteľňa, which you are all probably familiar with: The Future is Yours. The illustration eventually appeared on the cover of the book - a special edition of R.U.R. by Karel Čapek.