Nóra Békés

artistiek onderzoek - communicatie - design

Nóra Békés is a graphic designer, visual storyteller and researcher.Her applied work I focuses on editorial design, typography and type design. Conceptual thinking and the use of metaphors stands at the core of her design process. She explores methods of traditional typography in the present context and analytical image editing. she strives to create structures of visual organization in order to communicate complex information structures and messages with various layers of meaning. In her autonomous practice Nóra explores the possibilities and implications of archival research in contemporary creative processes.


The Unknown Planet - Which stories lay hidden in an archive? How to recall memories that one have never had? How to navigate through a stage-set which masks reality? The Unknown Planet is a metaphorical attempt to reconstruct Hungary’s recent past. Yet, it is a guided tour through a fictional space. Archival photographs from the ‘60s to the ‘80s are analysed and collaged together seamlessly to create a narrative labyrinth. A close-reading of the images reveals the staged nature of the late socialist everyday life, and the recreations of iconic objects serve as props for this scene. The objects sculpted from ceramics appear as fragile fake relics of a fragile and dishonest system. The viewer is invited to explore this excavation-site of collective memory, where methods of interpreting archives and ways of curating the truth are examined.
Reviving Type - Reviving Type is a book by Céline Hurka and Nóra Békés, with a foreword by Frank E. Blokland. Two studies, that started as a university course assignment and developed into an independent design-research, are woven together into one volume: one about the Renaissance letters of Garamont and Granjon, the other about the Baroque types of Nicholas Kis. The publication guides the reader from finding original sources in archives, through historical investigation and design process to the finished typeface. The first part of the book provides insight into historical changes in type design through hands-on examples with theoretical background. The second part gives a thorough explanation of the production process of the revival typefaces. Here two different approaches are placed side by side, creating a conversation piece about possible working methods in type design. Design decisions, technical details and difficulties of the process are thoroughly discussed. Rich imagery of original archival material and technical illustrations explain the texts visually. Altogether, the publication becomes a ‘cookbook’ for anyone, who would like to dive into revival type design.
Reclaiming Wanderlust - Medieval manuscripts were produced between the 5th and the 15th centuries AD on diverse topics. Many of them attract attention because of their lavish illustrations, others draw the reader with subtle visual sophistication. Even though these documents testify for a high potential in communicating messages, they are hardly ever discussed by contemporary graphic designers. What kind of visual strategies were used in Medieval manuscripts to communicate knowledge? What is the role of the specific elements in building narratives? How can historical research enrich contemporary graphic design practice? The thesis aims to answer these questions through a multi-layered visual and historical analysis of manuscripts.
Jaarverslag 2019 Museum Het Valkhof-Kam - Museum het Valkhof is the archeology and art museum of Nijmegen, in the Dutch province Gelderland. As the area was part of the Roman Empire, the museum has a large collection of archeological findings from the Antiquity. Research and the preservation of these findings are among the importatn activities of the museum, just as the educational activities that present history and archeology as a discipline to young and old. Furthermore, the museum has a large and growing collection of classical art from the Middle Ages through Modernism to contemporary art. The yearly report presents the activities and strivings of the organization. Next to the regular account of the events and achievements of the Museum in the year 2019, the report contains a visual essay displaying images of objects in the collection. This playful collage does not only show the diversity of the collection, but creates possible connections between the museum objects ranging from archeological findings through classical art pieces to contemporary artworks.