Doing business in ads is said to be blinking in the dark. You know what you’re doing, but you’re probably the only one. The statement is certainly true, but it does not mean that advertising should be unlimited.

In European countries – with the exception of the Czech Republic – the prevailing effort is to regulate aggressive advertising, which in large part forms the so-called visual smog, which we still encounter on the local streets.

Signboards and shop window stickers play in inconsistent colors, and one can hardly appreciate the true beauty of some buildings through them. Many Czech cities therefore reach for levers in the form of municipal ordinances and in recent years have also published their own manuals for entrepreneurs, in an effort to direct them to non-violent promotion.

The current decree regulating advertising has been in force in Prague since 2005. So far, it only applies to the territory of the Prague Monument Reserve, but now the City Council, in consultation with the Institute of Planning and Development (IPR), has decided to expand it.

The current rules will now apply to the entire protection zone of the monument reserve, representing an area of ​​about 111 square meters today. The enlargement will take effect in June 2021.

“Following the example of Western metropolises, the goal is to maximally cultivate the form of outdoor advertising in Prague,” influences the director of IPR, Ondřej Boháč. The designer Veronika Velčovská Jiroušková also welcomes the city’s step, and in her work she also focuses on advertising and promotion.

According to her, sometimes a little is enough to distinguish between tasteless and high-quality advertising: “A lot of chosen graphics, a beautiful font, a short, honest and valuable graphic craft,” sums up Velčovská Jiroušková.

“The average observer does not realize it, but when he is surrounded by a quality visual culture, his sophistication increases inconspicuously, but constantly. He then perceives much sharper when he sees poor quality visuals and is just not satisfied with anything, “the designer thinks.

According to her, alternative ways are creatively conceived shop windows, spatial interventions bordering on specific artificial sites or campaigns involving direct interaction with a potential customer. In these requirements, it is worthwhile for the client to work with prominent artists who can bring originality, unmistakable style and new stimuli to the campaign.

“I would like the advertising in city centers to simply shout much less and attract and inform much more sophisticatedly and decently,” says Jiroušková.

The extended decree will apply to advertisements for which the rules of the Building Act and the Prague Building Regulations do not apply, ie advertisements that are not construction or advertising equipment. The most visible examples of this type of advertising are tarpaulins, banners and advertisements on houses, bridges and walls.

“Newly, they will have to place these sails only outside the protective strips of the Prague Monument Reserve or permit them as a construction or advertising facility. As a result, stricter rules as well as safety and construction requirements will apply to them, ”explains Ondřej Boháč from IPR.

According to Radmila Pospíšilová, director of the advertising company MOBILBOARD, however, it is not sensible at a time when everyone lacks money in budgets – and therefore also in cities, municipalities and regions – to prevent the inflow of funds from commercial projects.

Nevertheless, her company focuses primarily on placing advertisements on public transport vehicles, so it is subject to restrictions primarily by the legislation of the Ministry of Transport.

“We understand the efforts of cities to regulate advertising, but of course we are against its total ban. It is important to find a compromise, to give clear guidelines in which we can work as an advertising company. However, it does not fully limit the advertising business, “concludes Pospíšilová.