Siberian Comics, Prints and Emoji Invented by INRTU Students in the ArchiStik Contest

INRTU students took the lead in the cross-regional creative contest "ArchiStik". They designed stickers, comics, and prints dedicated to Irkutsk and the profession of designer. The competition is organized by the Club of Young Architects, founded by INRTU students.

The project is implemented as part of the ArchDvizhenie program with the support of Rosmolodezh. The goal of ArchiStik is to promote the brands of the Irkutsk Region, involve young people in creative work, and raise the prestige of the architectural profession. The competition is held for the fifth time.

This year, the organizers expanded the nominations, giving authors the opportunity to create not only stickers, but also thematic prints and comics. The designs developed by the artists can be used in the production of souvenirs and messengers. The jury selected 12 diploma holders, many of whom are students at the INRTU School of Architecture, Construction and Design.

Third-year student Olga Kharchenko took the lead in the People in Architecture nomination. She created a set of stickers dedicated to the everyday life of an architect. Her heroes are designers standing behind drawing easels, measuring houses and rooms. Sometimes they are so immersed in the process and tired that they use pencils instead of hairpins and fall asleep hugging their clipboards. Despite the busy schedule, the artists are happy when they see the results of their work.

Olga was inspired to draw stickers by photos from the ArchBukhta festival, memories of practice and lessons about painting. The author believes that such drawings will be interesting and understandable to people if they are transformed from stickers into emoji for social networks.

Student Darya Nashcheyeva won the first prize in the Irkutsk Colors category with her work "The Miracle". She depicted a crowd of thoughtful passers-by with a smiling girl in the middle. The print is quite large, so it will look good on T-shirts, shopping bags and notebooks.

The idea of the composition, according to Darya Nashcheeva, is that the Irkutsk Colors work is about the people who make the city special, different from others:

"In Irkutsk live a lot of bright, enterprising people full of enthusiasm.

They find inspiration in their city, give a smile to passersby and see miracles in the simplest things.”

The student speaks positively about the ArchiStik project. According to her, at first glance it may seem that such competitions have nothing to do with architecture. However, thanks to them, future specialists learn how to present their ideas aesthetically and how to compose drawings in graphic editors.

"All of the contest entries are created in programs that we can also use in course projects. This is the special advantage of ArchiStik," says Daria.

Senior student Victoria Khudyakova is the author of the comic “Who is a Babr?” (the Siberian District Features nomination). Funny pictures tell the story of the coat of arms of Irkutsk, approved in 1790 by Empress Catherine II. In the original coat of arms was described as follows: "In the silver field of the shield there is a running tiger, and in its mouth there is a sable...". At the later approval, already by Alexander II, in the St. Petersburg heraldry the word "tiger" was replaced by the Siberian synonym "babr". An unknown official "corrected" the letter "a" to "o" in 1878. Because of the mistake, the babr became a beaver. As a result, it was redrawn in the Irkutsk province as a creature with dark fur and webbed feet.

"The misspelling was corrected 119 years later. However, the wrong image remains to this day. Now it is a distinctive feature in the symbolism of the city, making Irkutsk unique in the world of heraldry.

My friends, whom I showed my mini-comic, were surprised, because they did not know anything about the Babr and the mysterious history of its appearance. Most of them wouldn't even wonder why it looks like that, and some of them believe that the babr is an extinct animal. I have not seen such products in tourist and bookstores. Mostly there are things related to Baikal, seals and wooden architecture. I hope that my project will help to promote the brand of the region," - the author suggests.

In addition, the first prize went to Irina Grineva and Maria Puzyreva with the work "When Spring Begins".

You can follow the events of the Young Architects Club in the VK group and on the community website.

Photo of the Young Architects Club