The Logo King: Karol Śliwka's Greatest Works

karol_sliwka_portret_forum.jpg, default, Karol Śliwka, Skoczów, 2015; photo: Daniel Dmitriew/Forum

You may not know Karol Śliwka’s name. You almost certainly know his work. For generations of Poles, his designs were part of everyday life: on bankbooks and textbooks, library books, cigarette packets, cosmetics and record sleeves. Yet behind some of Poland’s most recognisable symbols was a single designer with an extraordinary ability to turn complex ideas into simple, memorable images.

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Karol Śliwka, chocolate wrappers, presentation of the artist's work at The Institute of Industrial Design, Warsaw, 2019; photo: Jan Bielecki/East News

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Karol Śliwka was born on 16^th October 1932, in Harbutowice, and passed away on 10^th September 2018 in Warsaw. His childhood passion for drawing led him to schooling that would shape his talents – first at the Wieczorowa Szkoła Malarstwa, Rzeźby i Grafiki (editor’s translation: Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Night School) in Bielsko-Biała, and later at Państwowe Liceum Technik Plastycznych (National High School of the Arts) in Warsaw.

In 1959, Karol Śliwka completed his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts, although he had already debuted as a graphic designer two years earlier: in 1957, he won a design contest for a cigarette packaging. From that time on, he quickly reached a point in his career where, when he applied to design contests, he won… every single prize.

Śliwka’s genius was not simply his ability to make attractive images. It was his ability to reduce complicated ideas to a few shapes that could be understood almost instantly. His designs were economical without being austere, playful without being frivolous, and – above all – memorable.

PKO Bank Polski

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Karol Śliwka, logo 'PKO Bank Polski'; photo: promotional materials

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This is not only his most famous design, but it is also one of the most easily recognisable logos in Poland. Though it was created over half a century ago, the bank still uses the logo (albeit with the occasional ‘upgrade’).

As legend has it, apparently the bankers first rejected the logo when it came across their desks in 1969. That same year, however, a poster by Śliwka won first prize at the poster biennial in Katowice. The bankers quickly came around. From then on, the iconic logo was cemented into Polish history.

‘Kobra’ Shoe Company

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Karol Śliwka, 'Kobra' Shoe Company; photo: promotional materials

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In the circle of Polish shoemakers, the Pomeranian Leather Company ‘Kobra’ was considered to be among the best. Shoes ‘from Kobra’ were prized for their craftsmanship and high quality. The factory was founded in Bydgoszcz in the second half of the 19^th century and made shoes up until 1992. In its heyday, the company even built its own trade school to train future employees. Today, all that is left of the factory is Śliwka’s elegantly simple logo.

Wydawnictwa Szkolne i Pedagogiczne

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Karol Śliwka, 'Wydawnictwa Szkolne i Pedagogiczne' (The School & Pedagogical Publishing House), photo: promotional materials

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Some people may shudder in fear when they see this design. For many Poles, this is more than a logo. It is a childhood memory. The eagle appeared on the covers of textbooks carried to school by generations of Polish pupils, making Śliwka’s design one of the first pieces of graphic design many people encountered.

The Wydawnictwa Szkolne i Pedagogiczne (The School & Pedagogical Publishing House) was established in 1945 and still functions today, although Karol Śliwka’s logo only came to define the company in 1974. It has been in use since, with a few modern tweaks (in 1992, for instance, the eagle was outfitted with a crown).

National Library in Warsaw

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Karol Śliwka, 'National Library'; photo: promotional materials

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Śliwka designed the distinctive crown hovering over an open book in 1990. That was the year Warsaw’s National Library went through many important changes, such as moving its headquarters for the first time in twenty years (the first building had been around since the 1970s).

Since that time, the logo, which carries with it the weight and importance of the institution it is attached to, has been stamped into every single library book in their incredible collection. Here again, Śliwka manages to communicate the identity of an institution with almost astonishing economy.

International Chopin Piano Competition

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Karol Śliwka, poster for 6th International Chopin Piano Competition in1985; photo: promotional materials

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During his lifetime, Śliwka designed many posters, although they were never as popular as his unforgettable logos. In his posters – as in this one for the 1985 International Chopin Piano Competition – Śliwka’s philosophy remained consistent to that of his logos: a maximalist minimalism – conciseness combined with an attractive and easy to read design.

The challenge is making simplicity look effortless. Śliwka’s posters achieve precisely that: they give the viewer enough information to recognise the subject without overwhelming the image with detail.

Protect Your Hands

Thumbnail — Karol Śliwka poster 'Chroń Ręce' (Protect Your Hands); photo: http://www.karolsliwka.pl

Publicly crowd-sourced poster designs are common practice to this day – designers often take part because they provide more leeway than commissioned projects.

Karol Śliwka created his poster Chroń Ręce (Protect Your Hands) for a competition about work safety. The poster has a clear, distinguishable message and… a surprising sense of humour. The design just recently found its place on a t-shirt after a popular clothing brand took interest in it.

Giewont Cigarettes

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Karol Śliwka, 'Giewont' cigarette package; photo: http://www.karolsliwka.pl

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During the brand’s inception in the 1960s, the front of the cigarette package featured the likeness of a highlander, but it was soon replaced by Karol Śliwka’s design of a ‘star’, or, rather, a single snowflake. This wildly popular cigarette brand is a fixture in Polish pop culture – it’s still featured in books, films and even songs.

Wars

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Male cosmetic line 'Wars'; photo: Wojciech Kryński/PAP

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The male toiletry line Wars landed in stores in 1972. It emulated a certain masculinity in the simplicity of the packaging, be it cologne or aftershave, all thanks to Śliwka.

It’s worth mentioning that the company that produces Wars is named Miraculum, responsible for other famous Polish brands such as Pani Walewska (Mrs. Walewska) and Być może... (Maybe…). In other words, these are brands that older generations remember fondly and keep buying. They still retain a foothold in the market despite free markets and the radical changes in the makeup world in the past few years.

Karol Szymanowski’s Album Cover

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Karol Śliwka, album cover for KarolSzymanowski; photo: http://www.karolsliwka.pl

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Album covers – yet another branch of design that Karol Śliwka dabbled in. Other than his famed logos, he also designed postage stamps, packages (like those of Wedel chocolates), book covers and of course, vinyl album covers.

At first glance, Śliwka's work seems almost relentlessly rational. But there was another side to his minimalism. His simplest images could also carry atmosphere, emotion and even poetry.

The Collected Poems of Juliusz Słowacki

A few lines and everything is crystal clear. Karol Śliwka was a master in creating legible drawings out of minimal resources. On this cover of Słowacki’s collected poems, the poet’s recognisable face is drawn in a way that also gives a sense of what can be found inside – the style and tone of the poetry itself.

Perhaps this is the best demonstration of Śliwka’s particular gift. With just a few lines, he doesn’t merely tell us who the poet is. He gives us a sense of what the poetry will feel like.

A lifetime of making things recognisable

Karol Śliwka designed for almost every corner of everyday Polish life: banks, schools, libraries, shops, cigarettes, cosmetics, books and music. Many of the institutions and products he designed for have changed or disappeared. His images have proved harder to erase. That may be Śliwka's greatest achievement. He understood that the most effective design does not need to demand attention. It just needs to be remembered.

His greatest symbols became part of the Polish visual landscape precisely because they were so simple. We stopped noticing them – and in doing so, they became part of our collective memory.

_{Originally written in Polish, Sept 2019, translated by Alicja Zapalska, Sept 2019, updated Sept 2026}

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