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- ColorADD, 2024
Yurko Gutsulyak
The Blue-Yellow Series of posters explores Ukrainian identity through individual interpretations of state symbols, particularly the flag. Since the beginning of the war, many Ukrainians worldwide have subconsciously started noticing any possible combinations of blue and yellow in everyday life. The colours are perceived as a sign of support, togetherness, and hope. They are gaining new meanings and giving people strength to resist. The poster series delves into the search for a new Ukraine and the Ukrainians’ place in the modern world. “When no colors are left, the Ukrainian flag is still waving” is the project’s central message. The posters represent the flag colours in various ways: as wavelengths of blue and yellow light, as chemical formulas of the most common pigments like Prussian blue and Cadmium yellow, as wildflowers like periwinkle and dandelion, as gestures of sign language, as icons for colourblind people, and as formulas for process printing or digital devices.
An artist and graphic designer working at the intersection of visual communication and conceptual art. For over two decades, he has explored symbolism, materiality, and systems of meaning by introducing design methodologies into artistic practice. Through printed copies, reproduction, and interactive objects, he transforms familiar cultural symbols into multilayered narratives that function simultaneously as visual manifestos and labyrinths of interpretation.
Yurko Gutsulyak (b. 1979, Ukraine) is the co-founder of Gutsulyak.Studio (2005), a design atelier specializing in packaging, branding, and print design. His projects have received more than 150 international awards, including Red Dot, European Design Awards, Epica Awards, Pentawards, Dieline Awards, Communication Arts, and Graphis. His works have also been exhibited in Canada, the United States, Switzerland, France, Germany, China, Poland, Mexico, and Ukraine. Among his recent solo exhibitions are Moon Collection (New York), Sing to Ukraine (Zaporizhzhia), Blue-and-Yellow Series (Toronto, New York), and Fractures of Belonging (New York).
In 2010, he was elected the first president of the Art Directors Club Ukraine, where for four years he helped develop the country’s professional creative community.
Yurko Gutsulyak has lectured at numerous international events, including Nassau Community College (USA), Cooper Union (USA), The Alternative School for Creative Thinking (Romania), Design Thinkers (Canada), Belgrade Design Week (Serbia), Kyiv Master School of Design (Ukraine), Open Art Academy (Iceland), European Design Conference (Netherlands), School of Visual Communication (Ukraine), Projector School (Ukraine), and Design Village (Ukraine). He also frequently serves as a jury member for design competitions across North America, Europe, and Asia.
His interviews have been published in leading design magazines, including Novum (Germany), idPure (Switzerland), +design (Greece), idN (Hong Kong), Telegraf (Ukraine), Font (Czech Republic), and Brand (China).
After relocating to Toronto in 2017, Yurko Gutsulyak has continued his artistic practice while developing his design atelier. In 2025, he became an Academician of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.
Artworks Yurko Gutsulyak
