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

Lars

Harmsen

Many people think we Germans are perfect. What nonsense!

Ksawery

Komputery

Poland's design culture is deeply rooted in its rich history and traditions, blending modern aesthetics with folk art. One aspect that people from other countries might not know is the strong influence of Polish Poster Art, which emerged in the mid-20th century and is characterized by its unique combination of simplicity, bold colors, and surreal elements. Additionally, Polish designers often draw inspiration from the country's turbulent history and diverse architecture, creating works that are both innovative and reflective of Poland's cultural heritage.

Miroslaw

Klis

In the world of graphic design Poland is known for Polish School of Posters active in 1950s-1980s with expressive solutions based mainly on illustration. In the last years we finally started discovering the unknown heritage in logo design and typography with great masters such as Karol Śliwka, Ryszard Bojar and many more.

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.

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