The World Copernican Congress marking the 550th anniversary of Nicolaus Copernicus birthday already has a logo and visual identity. Its main theme is the interaction between light and shadow. The chosen project was prepared by dobosz.studio, a Poznań-based design team. The logo will be featured on all written and visual materials related to the Congress.

‘Ever since the dawn of time, people were fascinated by the unseen. In our creative process, we were inspired by the boundaries between light and shadow, seen and unseen. To paraphrase Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, ‘the interesting is invisible to the eyes’. In the context of astronomy, the terminator, also known as the twilight zone, is the moving line that divides the lit part of a planetary body from the dark part, and it inspired us to design a symbol which on the one hand refers to astronomy and metaphysics, while on the other opens up the imagination for various other interpretations’, the designers stated.

A total of 62 projects were submitted to the contest. The jury featuring representatives of the four higher institutions organising the World Copernican Congress – the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Jagiellonian University in Kraków and Polish Academy of Science Institute of the History of Science – judged them based on four criteria: representation of the idea of the Congress, innovation and originality, aesthetic values and practicality. The winning project was chosen in a three-stage voting process.

dobosz.studio is a Poznań-based design team with significant experience. It collaborates both with private companies as well as public institutions such as galleries and universities. The have received numerous awards, such as the Polish Graphic Design Award, Pictures of the Year International and Grand Press Photo.