Designers in Seoul
Designers in Tokyo
Designers in Taipei
Column Four
© 2024 Polish Graphic Design Foundation. All rights reserved.
Motto
Idea first, design second.
Poland
Oksana
Shmygol
Design
graphic design, logo design, editorial design, packaging design
Bio
A graphic designer and creative director, a partner at Studio Otwarte (based in Krakow, Poland), which she has been co-creating for over 14 years. Specialises in branding, editorial and packaging design. She has worked on visual identities for a wide range of brands of different sizes and profiles, as well as for cities and cultural institutions and many award-winning branding projects.
She is also a University lecturer, online and offline workshop leader and a speaker at Polish and international conferences.
Clients
Unit8, City of Rybnik, City of Racibórz, Ringer Axel Springer, Jewish Culture Festival, Ludowy Theater
Awards
3x 2024 Golden Pin Design Award Mark Winner, Red dot, 2x European design awards, 2x Type Directors Club Awards, Polish Project of the Year, Polish Team of the year 2020, 11x Polish Graphic Design Award, 9x Ad Creators Club (Poland)
More Speakers and Mentors
Ola
Niepsuj
Polish design culture is deeply rooted in a rich tradition of poster art, known as the "Polish School of Poster Art," a movement that combined bold graphics and a strong sense of symbolism to convey complex messages with minimal resources. Contemporary Polish design often draws inspiration from this heritage, including "designing by hand", while blending it with a modern, digital aesthetic.
Jan
Diehl-Michalowski
In Poland, design is still in the development phase and there is currently no one specific dominant style characteristic only of our country. Until recently, we were trying to design correctly, and now we are looking at how to design incorrectly.
Oksana
Shmygol
While the most known and celebrated inspirations from the Polish graphic design history is the 1950-80s Polish School of Posters, there is also a less known history of great logo design and typography, which we only started discovering recently. Nowadays Poland has amazing and internationally renowned designers in different fields - illustration, branding, typography and more. The community of professionals - individual designers and studios - is strong and friendly, we learn from each other and give each other advice, but also consciously build market standards together.
Ada
Zielinska
People from other countries might not know that the design culture in Poland is deeply rooted in both tradition and innovation. The iconic Polish School of Poster, which emerged in the mid-20th century, remains influential, known for its unique blend of surrealism, symbolism, and minimalism. Another lesser-known aspect is the role of graphic design. While Polish posters have gained international recognition, graphic design, including elements like logos, packaging, and printed materials, has only recently been rediscovered and appreciated. Polish graphic design icons such as Karol Śliwka, Jerzy Treutler, and Roman Duszek are behind these influential works.