Motto

Stay curious

Poland

Zofia

Dzierzawska-Bojanowska

Design

Comics

Bio

Zosia Dzierżawska is an illustrator & comic author from Warsaw, Poland, and a co-founder of Studio Armad’illo, an illustration and graphic design studio based in Milan. She works for a variety of international publishers, using her soft, expressive lines in children’s books, comics and editorial illustration.

Previous collaborations include Oxford University Press, Rizzoli, Candlewick Press, and others. Her works have been awarded twice at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition, as well as at the Society of Illustrators in New York.

She loves getting her hands dirty with inks, watercolors, greasy pencils, and other traditional media.

Clients

Nobrow, Candlewick Press, I'm Changing, Oxford University Press, The Chopin Museum, The New York Times

Awards

Bologna Children's Book Fair Illustrator's Exhibition (twice),

Society of Illustrators New York Annual (twice),

Sydney Taylor Book Award (US),

Children's Literature Festival (PL)

More Speakers and Mentors

Ian

Lynam

There are three different reading directions for typeset Japanese!

Jakub

Kozniewski

We're getting there.

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.

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.

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