A vital component of my regional research was exploring Terrapija 3.0, the third iteration of a collaborative project involving my former faculty, University North (Sveučilište Sjever). Organized in partnership with the Terra Hub association and the renowned design studio 404, this project showcases student-designed posters selected by a professional jury. The exhibition addresses the ‘fast-paced’ nature of modern life, consumerism, and the urgent need for sustainability in the 21st century. The specific task assigned to the Media Design students, titled ‘Anti-Ad for a Fast World,’ challenged us to select a pressing global issue and design a visual critique that encourages the public to reconsider the environmental impact of their lifestyle choices.
The project highlights the ‘hidden price’ of our accelerated daily routines—ranging from fast travel and fast food to fast fashion, and even the rapid acquisition of knowledge through Artificial Intelligence. Behind these conveniences lie devastating consequences: skyrocketing energy consumption, mounting waste, and massive carbon emissions that exacerbate the global climate crisis. Terrapija 3.0 serves as a collective call for the world to slow down. The project was prominently exhibited at this year’s Zagreb Design Week, with selected posters also displayed within the university’s premises. Out of many submissions, the ten most impactful posters were chosen, each addressing a specific systemic problem.
The winning poster was created by student Lucija Oreški. Her work visually dissects the harmful consequences of industrial meat production that precede the consumption of fast food. The design illustrates the entire supply chain—from the deforestation required for grazing lands and the confinement of livestock to factory-induced air pollution and the excessive depletion of natural resources. The visual narrative concludes with mass processing and transport, dominated by a palette of deep reds and dark tones that symbolize danger, blood, and environmental degradation. The journey of meat to the consumer’s plate is depicted as a winding path of destruction, serving as a powerful visual indictment of the ecological cost of our dietary habits.
Another work that deeply informed my research was by Nika Šmic. Her poster utilizes the retail receipt—a ubiquitous and recognizable symbol of transaction—to expose the ‘true price’ of fast fashion; a price paid not by the consumer, but by the planet. Instead of a monetary value for a garment, the receipt lists ethical and environmental ‘costs’ such as exploited labor hours, sub-standard wages, chemical usage, water depletion, and textile waste. The final ‘total’ on the receipt leads to a single, haunting outcome: ecological collapse. By transforming a mundane object of consumption into a tool for transparency, the work forces the audience to stop and ask: What are we truly paying for when we buy cheap clothing?
Attending this exhibition was a crucial milestone in my creative process. The themes explored in Terrapija 3.0 are intrinsically linked to my master’s thesis on consumerism, irresponsible spending, and consumer accountability in Croatia. Seeing how my peers successfully utilized graphic design to create ‘anti-advertising’ provided me with fresh strategies for my own work. It reinforced my belief that design in Croatia must move beyond mere aesthetics and act as a provocative force that challenges the status quo of our local and global consumerist culture.
Disclaimer: AI used
https://terrapija.terrahub.eu/3.0/galerija
https://www.unin.hr/2025/09/otvorena-izlozba-terrapija-3-0-%E2%8F%A4-uspori-na-zagreb-design-weeku
