Vladimir Yurkovic, Graphic designer, Slovakia
Photography, graphics and design are three phenomena that for the last ten years interlock like pigtails of a blond sitting by the weir. But there is no reason to be surprised, on the contrary, together they support and help each other like siblings that have the same father but different mother. Photographer and graphic designer Vlado Yurkovic from Slovakia is well aware of this. His B&W, widescreen set was one of the first in our project and he was the first one to stay in memory of many users with his photo-graphic approach. We are very happy to welcome this artist in our section Week of Life Masters. Welcome to the world of Vlado Yurkovic.
Many people claim that they became fond of photography at an early age. How was it in your case?
If 9-10 years old can be regarded as an early age, then this is also my case. Coming back from Russia, my father brought me quite a good compact camera Villia 2, which made a Smena go pale from all the envy. It had a shutter release lever, as well as a lever for reeling the film, more of a standard for the Single-lens reflex cameras in those days. The first results from the photo lab encouraged me so much, that I not only developed the pictures, but my cozy bathroom, serving as a darkroom, allowed me to enlarge the photos as well. My father borrowed an old Opemus and later brought me a cine film Magnifax and a polisher. I then borrowed a Zenit with a large flash for the more serious stuff. I was able to take pictures of whole weddings and family celebrations, while still attending primary school. It was quite nice to earn the occasional penny from time to time. I became quite popular at school thanks to my compact camera. These were my early years of photography.
Graphic artist is your profession. Which field of graphics specifically?
That’s not entirely correct. When taking into consideration the present context of my work and the part of me that does not include photography, I am mainly a designer. By the ‘present context’ I mean that nowadays, the term graphic artist is usually misinterpreted. The society today has yet to define if a graphic artist is the one who creates graphics – graphic sheets, graphic technique illustrations or graphic design; or the one who just moves a PC mouse around and becomes the tailored fashion accessory for a company or an individual. It’s trendy to ‘have your own graphic artist’.
Setting emotions aside, if I am to define and place myself into a specific profession based on what I do and how I earn a living, as opposed to what I feel, I am a designer-photographer. Or vice-versa. The money decide which profession wins each month.
Back to the second part of the question, (with the term ‘design’ being more frequent): Corporate Identity Design, packaging design, book design, annual reports…
Surely you are right in many cases. I don’t think that many people dwell on the issue nowadays as much as you do. It’s good to hear and define the specific terms. However, one of the professions must dominate the other, are you more of a photographer or a graphic artist?
I do feel that way. I’m definitely a photographer at heart, from the bottom of my soul. I can attend to photography no matter the mood or state of mind.
Do you think that your education in graphics somehow influences or helps you during picture taking?
I graduated in the design of industrial goods. Therefore, I should be able to design and develop everything that is industrially manufactured, ranging from a simple potty to a car. However, along with my studies I also prepared myself for the career path of a photographer. After graduation, I was offered a lucrative position within the Chirana Syndicate, so photography became a ‘sidekick’ of sorts, as well as a full time hobby and activity. After the Velvet Revolution, I fell in love with the Apple brand with the intention to digitalize and utilize the picture. However, this brand as well as my life led me to an alternate route of design, called the graphic design. I established a successful graphic studio that received several significant awards. The work pace and my position as an art director even required me to hire external photographers. Meanwhile, I learned to assign tasks for photo shoots and choose the right authors and snapshots for a given project. It took 15 years for my photography to become professional (in the sense of actively selling oneself and receiving some sort of payment for pictures and rights).
I included this short history in my answer so that the response to your question was not a typical cliché: ‘Yes, of course’. Education and experience mutually benefit each other. It’s always an advantage to have quality general education. In a way I am a very happy person, I take a picture of what I think of and scheme out and at that moment I already know where all the captions and texts will be. A part of you is taking the picture, while the other is already thinking about editing; simply great. If anyone ever doubts who I am, I’ll refer him or her to the term ‘renaissance’.
Did you have any role models or favorite figures in photography over the 15 year path?
Peter Lindbergh, I don’t know what I adore more, him as an author or his taste in model choices. The creations not of men or women, but of angels. And I have met one personally. Richard Avedon, whether I like it or not, I must admit to a strong spiritual bond with this photographer. MaW.. Robert Vano for his stubborn alchemy and human dimension. In the professional sense, it would have to be Gilles Bensimon, perhaps I also envy his frequent visits to the Caribbean; the everlasting sunshine from God as well as the models. I have also been devoted to subjective documentary as long as I can remember. In brief, the format can be described as the 35mm. Not the film, but the lenses. In this case, Anthony Suau, Sebastiao Salgado, Bohdan Holomíček always get to me.
In graphics, or graphic design if you want, you have reached the top on a world-wide scale. You were acknowledged and received many awards including the biggest one for graphics in advertisement. Please, feel free to show off your accomplishments.
1995
Golden Drum New Europe | finalist
1997
National award for design
1998
Golden Drum New Europe | Golden drumstick Golden Drum New Europe | Silber drumstick London International Advertising Awards ‘98 | winner | calendars
1999
London International Advertising Awards ‘99 | finalist | annuals London International Advertising Awards ‘99 | finalist | corporate identity
2000
Best annual report (Trend) | 2nd place | annual (99) for SZRB
2001
Best annual report (Trend) | 3rd place | annual (00) for SZRB
2002
Best annual report (Trend) | 1st place | annual (01) for SZRB Best annual report (Trend) | 3rd place | annual (01) for PSS Best annual report (Trend) | 1st place | electronic version of annual (01) for SZRB
2003
Best annual report (Trend) | 1st place | annual (02) for PSS
2004
Best annual report (Trend) | 3rd place | annual (03) for PSS
2005
Best annual report (Trend) | 2nd place | annual (04) for Orange
2006
The Most Beautiful Books of Slovakia | V. Godár – Mater
Do you have a specific dream concerning photography?
Two years of holiday and work combined, just like Gilles Bensimon.
Let’s focus on the project that links us together. When did the Week of Life come to your attention and what were your initial thoughts?
The first time I heard about the project was spring of last year when I consulted Adolf Zika about the logo of WoL. Besides the promised cooperation, I immediately gathered a few individuals willing to share parts of their lives as well as their privacy. Today, I am rather proud of the people I’ve chosen as they have become stable members of the Top 10 rankings or the Editor’s Choice. I am also very pleased that Vlad Gerasimov and Vincent Sagart did not give up and endured till the end, despite being extremely far away and both on the other side of the globe. I judge through my own experience, as I started all over three times myself. Discipline is probably the crucial aspect which resonates within the execution of the WoL project. The days were so hectic, being the middle of the week or its beginning, that after the initial morning shots, I remembered to take the remaining ones only at the end of the day when I got into my car to drive home from the studio. And talk about discipline at the end of the day! Choose the best 9 shots? Ultimately, the tactics of continuous picture taking had won, looking at all the photos only at the end of the ‘week’. This was the only way how to finish and get things done.
Would you say that a project such as Week of Life could benefit or help a person that has just created their ‘week’, as well as the person who is regarded as the spectator, despite not knowing each other?
Definitely. It is mutually beneficial. That is why the main idea behind WoL immediately inspired me. I consider the possibility to take a peek into our lives or our free time very valuable, basically letting anyone (if they join) to take a look, from every corner of the world. Personally, it was quite interesting to have a look at myself as a representative of my own week of life. The 63 photos certainly have magical power.
How private do you consider your personal matters to be and in your opinion, where is the border line between what should be disclosed to the public and what should stay in the family albums?
What you’re asking me is to define a borderline, which most inhabitants of the civilized world were not able to determine over the years. You have the ever-present security cameras, personal scanners and tabloids that only evoke the fear of privacy loss and encourage even more legislation. On the other hand, the tabloids claim that without the echo of the targets themselves, there would be no controversial news or pictures. True, what I’m referring to is only the tip of the iceberg, however, exhibitionism flows in the blood of a reasonable part of the world’s population and any time they will have the means to exhibit their privacy, they will not hesitate to do so. A section of that population show signs of a simple, natural and usually indiscreet exhibitionism, where as a different section uses it for their self-interest or in respectful terms, ‘public relations’. The answer to the question is clearly a matter of everyone’s conscience and their attitude towards life, themselves, as well as towards the Week of Life project itself. That could be the reason why I’ve started my first week from scratch several times. I realized I was telling myself on several occasions: DON’T FOOL AROUND (Don’t take a picture of that), this isn’t your real life. That doesn’t mean I always did the ‘right thing’. Once again, the answer to this question is simply subjective, as are the photos meant for WoL. The authors of their respectable ‘weeks’ have the ability to choose the method of portraying their own images, as well as how intimate they want them to be.