Even sheep have a social life…

A project that recently really made my day was ‘A Social Dictionary – Introduction to Some basic Terms Based on a Sheep and a Circle’ by designer Nenad Jalsovec aka 16×16.

It’s a self-initiated project from 2007 which was exhibited on Croatian Design Exhibition 0708 (an Icograda endorsed project)  in 2008; and seen at, recently closed, Zagreb Salon – ‘Anti-Design / Permanent Alternatives’ exhibition .

Social dictionary by Nenad Jalsovec (c)

Jalsovec presented his poster and picture book from cardboard which both contain his small ‘scenarios’ on important life facts and ideas such as diversity, friendship, order, violence, alienation, love, disability, power, communication, education, god, nature, hate, numerousness, perception, kids, sport, food, fun, play, transportation, order, conflict, etc.

Designer ‘premiered’ it as a project that ‘questions the boundaries of expression of a limited system of visual elements that seek to illustrate a series of what are primarily abstract notions’.

Social dictionary by Nenad Jalsovec (c)

Jalsovec has created micro-world based on two signs, designed in such a manner that it look like a teaching aid for pre-school kidz, but leaving enough space for direct messages within selected outline.

The catalogue from ZS says on Social Dictionary: “The concept was a result of questioning the semantic ‘boundaries of possibility’ in the structural system signifiers. The system was created according to the common functionalist imperative – as a concise visual vocabulary, made of a small number of discrete elements.”

Social dictionary by Nenad Jalsovec (c)

“Even though largely accepted as methodology for projecting visal communication, the principle is in itself highly restrictive, for reasons that remain rather vague. The aim of the concept was to investigate the expressive space within the obviously narrow boundaries of this type and to ask questions, if not answer them, on reasons for their constitution and necessity.”

Rescue the Beagles by N. Jalsovec (c)

Nenad Jalsovec (1972, Cakovec-Croatia) graduated Design at the School of Design on Faculty for Architecture in Zagreb. He works as designer, illustrator and has been involved deeply into freeware game design. He’s hooked up to making remakes of ‘antique’ Spectrum computer games. Jalsovec’s computer game Ablation X entered last year the Independent Games Festival in San Francisco.