Designing the Greek cultural heritage
Design competition
- Award
Date: January 2016   Client: Greek Archaeological Receipts Fund (TAP)   Authors: "το χρυσό πι πι" (Katerina Petsiou - architect,
Christina Petsiou - graphic designer)

The aim of the competition was to designate designers and creatives to form a creative team responsible for the mass production of cultural products (art gifts - souvenirs) sold at Greek archaeological sites and museums. The entrants had to submit three designs inspired by the exhibits of the Greek museums and archaeological sites. The challenge was to deliver our work in a contemporary and sophisticated visual language meeting the expectations of demanding consumers.

The Parisienne fresco from Knossos Palace, Crete.
This fragmentary fresco of a young woman - priestess is one of the most celebrated images of the Minoan art. We wanted to create a design that highlights the naturalism and verve of the Minoan art. Isolating the main features of the mural i.e. the sacred knot, the brightly painted eye, the plasticity of the figure, we created a single set of symbols that in conjunction with the colors orange and blue describe the importance of the individual elements of the mural.

The Castle Town of Mystras, Peloponnese.
Mystras, the best preserved example of medieval walled town in the Greek region, is today a standing ghost city that fascinates with its castle, churches and the palatial complex of the ruling Byzantine dynasty. The idea was to capture the imposing landscape of the site together with the architecture and the vivid ceramic decoration of byzantine churches and to create a contemporary and attractive design.

Pattern design inspired by the Ionic capitals.
The spiral is one of the oldest symbols of human spirituality that represents the continuous cycle of life and death. In Ancient Greece it can be seen in every aspect in art, painted on vessels of the Minoan and Geometric period and carved on the Ionic capitals of the Classical period. We tried to capture the elegance of the Ionic columns and create a pattern with thin lines and colours inspired by the temples and statues of the Classical period in Ancient Greece.
το χρυσό πι πι