Brno Balance is a graphic symbol created in 1970 by Czech designer Jan Rajlich Sr. for an art-related project in Czechoslovakia. The mark is documented in the online archive of the Moravian Gallery in Brno, which holds a large collection of Rajlich’s graphic design work.
Design and History
Jan Rajlich Sr. (1920-2016) was a leading Czech graphic designer, founder of the Brno Biennale of Graphic Design, and author of numerous logos and visual identity systems for Brno institutions, including the Brno Trade Fairs (BVV) and the city’s observatory and planetarium [1] [2]. The Brno Balance symbol is catalogued in the Moravian Gallery’s online archive of Rajlich’s estate, which was launched in 2021 and contains more than 2,000 of his works [3].
The archive lists the item as “Brněnská bilance” (Brno Balance), dated 1970, with dimensions of 9.8 by 9.4 cm, classified under graphic design [4]. The small format suggests a printed emblem or mark rather than a poster. The name “Brněnská bilance” also appears in Rajlich’s work from the 1960s, including a 1967 poster for an exhibition of the same name held in Brno [5] [6].
Meaning and Symbolism
The title “Balance” suggests a visual theme of equilibrium, consistent with the geometric, modernist approach Rajlich applied throughout his career. His work for the Brno Trade Fairs, for example, used a gear-shaped logo with the letter B and two crossing arrows, and later a logotype with the letters BVV in square fields [2]. The Brno Balance mark fits this pattern of abstract, non-textual symbols that Rajlich developed for cultural and civic clients in Brno.
Beyond the documented title and date, the Moravian Gallery archive does not provide a detailed description of the symbol’s visual elements or intended meaning. The mark is best understood within the context of Rajlich’s broader output of minimalist graphic symbols for Brno’s cultural scene, which shaped the city’s public visual identity for decades [7].
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