Most of us dream of traveling to outer space, but this one is still beyond the reach of everyday life. Closer instead is Gdynia's "Kosmos," a small cafe with a unique identity from Traffic Design.
The "Kosmos" café is located on Starowiejska Street in Gdynia
photo: Rafał Kołsut | © Traffic Design
trying to reach the cosmos
"Not only do we live in the universe, but the universe lives in us," wrote Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Space has inspired people ever since the race to explore it became the new world order defining the post-war years. Although sending new probes, ships or building space bases today is not an event on the scale of the first human landing on the moon, space still inspires us.
A mosaic and a fragment of an old storefront have been preserved in the café
photo by Rafał Kołsut | © Traffic Design
The same was the case with the "Kosmos" café in Gdynia, at 25 Starowiejska St. Between a pharmacy and a store, there is an establishment that attracts the attention of residents and tourists by its characteristic metal signboard. The author of the identification of "Kosmos" is designer Renia Maj of Traffic Design. The signboard above the café's window consists of a simple inscription, in which the letter K - evoking the shape of a star - stands out the most. The minimalist inscription is complemented by an equally simple reference to the cosmos - a semaphore signboard in the shape of a planet with a circle, which is located to the left of the starry K.
The identification is also available on the café's mugs
photo by Rafał Kołsut | © Traffic Design
Metal is a graceful material, offering many design possibilities. We will certainly return to this technology. At the same time, we are still looking for other material solutions, creating signs in experimental techniques," says Natalia Wielebska of Traffic Design.
Semaphore signboard next to the sign (designed by Renia Maj)
photo: Rafał Kołsut | © Traffic Design
The new identity complements what was found in the place - a colorful mosaic visible from the street and simple metalwork over the door. It may be interesting to note that this is the second realization of artists from the Traffic Design collective at this location. Previously, a leatherworker worked here for many years, for whom a new signboard was also made.
This new place on the map of Gdynia was also depicted in his graphics by Jan Rutka, an artist who also inventories and popularizes Gdynia's modernist heritage. As he announced on his profile, "Kosmos" will be presented in a series of graphics that will be created every month by other Gdynia artists.
The spirit of the place and the strength of its creators
Presenting each successive Traffic Design project is a pleasure, not only because of the exceptionally interesting way of beautifying Gdynia, which at the same time is part of its modernist character, but also because of the opportunity to study certain city-forming processes. The activities of the collective also show what role to play in this urban space. The potential of creative cities, interacting in various fields with artists, creators and residents is no longer the song of the future, but the present. The activities of Traffic Design or Jan Rutka are the true spirit of Gdynia - art that fits into the character of the city.
Signboard detail (designed by Renia Maj)
photo: Rafał Kołsut | © Traffic Design
