Designers in Seoul
Designers in Tokyo
Designers in Taipei
Column Four
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.
In Poland after World War II, many designers were active in creating graphic symbols. Due to specific political conditions, these projects could be much more free and artistic than in the West. Besides the Polish poster, it is the graphic symbol that is particularly noteworthy when it comes to design in Poland.
Polish design consistently marks its presence on global markets, combining diferent perspectives that reflects the cultural context of Poland, while perfectly adapting to the expectations of customers from all over the world. Today polish design not only draws on its history and regional motifs, creatively reinterpreting patterns from the past, but also develops by embracing new values like: innovation, responsibility, resourcefulness, locality, and nostalgia.
Though this is about illustration, I think there is a tendency to prefer narrative and explanatory elements over visual (graphical ) interest. (But maybe things have changed a bit recently?)