An exhibition of Karol Śliwka’s iconic designs
The WSiP symbol from the covers of school textbooks, the distinctive piggy bank associated with PKO, and the logo of the Mother and Child Institute, present from the very first days of life – everyone in Poland recognises these symbols. Behind each of them stands one person: Karol Śliwka, the man who, for over 60 years, has visually shaped the Poland we know. He has created over 400 logos for Poland’s largest companies and institutions, and he did it all by hand, using a pencil, rulerand compass, without a computer. From 21 to 24 May, his works will be on display at the PKO Rotunda in Warsaw. The exhibition has been organised to mark the premiere of the documentary “Mr Śliwka’s Logos” and, after Warsaw, will travel to other cities, including Gdynia Design Days 2026, which is a partner of the event.
Few graphic designers, or even artists, have left behind so many signs that, despite the passing of decades, continue to function in our everyday surroundings. Some of Karol Śliwka’s designs have been present in the public space for so long that they are no longer perceived as “designed”, having become a natural part of everyday life and a lasting fragment of the collective memory of several generations.
His work appeared everywhere: at railway stations, on signs, in books, on packaging and in advertisements, helping to shape the visual language of Polish cities in the second half of the 20th century. Śliwka was among the group of artists who gave Polish graphic design a modern, simple and instantly recognisable character. He designed for the largest institutions and brands, doing so entirely by hand, without a computer, but with a precision and sense of form that ensure many of his designs still look surprisingly contemporary today.
The best way to see this for yourself is at the exhibition, which will open from 21–24 May right in the heart of Warsaw, in a location chosen for a reason: the PKO rotunda, a space featuring a logo designed by Karol Śliwka himself. The exhibition presents a selection of the artist’s works and has been organised to coincide with the premiere of the film “Znaki Pana Śliwki”. It is curated by Patryk Hardziej – an illustrator, graphic designer and lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, and co-founder of the Karol Śliwka Foundation – who has selected around two hundred works from the artist’s extensive body of work, showcasing a broad cross-section of his output and the scale of his influence on Polish visual culture.
“The exhibition will present nearly 200 works that Karol Śliwka created from the 1950s right up until the year 2000. These include logos, posters, labels, packaging, advertisements and chocolate wrappers. We want visitors to feel that they encounter at least one of Karol Śliwka’s works every day, whether on their way to work or out for a walk. There was a vast number of these designs, and many generations grew up with them,” comments Patryk Hardziej on the concept behind the exhibition.
Below are five selected designs by Karol Śliwka that will be featured in the exhibition – the most recognisable ones, as well as the most interesting. These are designs that have shaped Polish visual culture in various ways, and in some cases have become a permanent part of our everyday surroundings.
PKO: Poland’s most iconic piggy bank
One of Karol Śliwka’s most recognisable designs is the PKO logo, created in the late 1960s. Initially, not everyone liked the logo, and it was shelved for several years. However, as luck would have it, the artist’s friends, in consultation with PKO representatives, submitted a poster featuring the bank’s logo and the slogan “October is Savings Month” to the 4th International Poster Biennale in Katowice, where it won a gold medal. Since then, the piggy bank has appeared everywhere.
“It’s amazing that since the late 1960s, the core of this logo hasn’t changed, and the letter-shaped piggy bank designed by Karol Śliwka is still in use today,” – notes Patryk Hardziej – “The logo is refreshed from time to time, adapted to new technologies, but we can still see it in a form similar to the one created by the artist.”
At the PKO Rotunda, visitors will be able to see the original “October – the Month of Savings” posters – the very same ones that won the Grand Prix at the Biennale in 1969 and ensured that this project ever saw the light of day.
“Uroda” Cosmetics Factory: the artist’s favourite logo
While the PKO logo is Śliwka’s most recognisable work, the logo for the “Uroda” Cosmetics Factory was his personal favourite. The artist himself admitted quite openly: “I was and still am most proud of the logo for the ‘URODA’ Cosmetics Factory. It’s a great pity that it’s no longer in existence…” – and in that single sentence he encapsulated both his professional pride and a touch of nostalgia for the past.
The logo for the Pollena-Uroda Cosmetics Factory was created in 1967 – two years before the famous PKO money box – and was one of the first major projects to cement his professional standing.
“Everyone sees something different in this logo, because it’s quite abstract,” explains Patryk Hardziej. “But all the associations revolve around delicacy and beauty – precisely what cosmetics should be associated with. The strength of this and other logos created by Karol Śliwka lies in this abstraction, which is always spot on.”
Today, that former Uroda no longer exists, but its logo still features in lists of the best Polish graphic designs of the 20th century.
World Assembly of Peace Builders: the dove reimagined
The dove of peace is one of the most recurring symbols in the history of graphic design – and that is precisely why it poses an extraordinary challenge for artists, but Śliwka found a way to tackle it. The poster for the World Assembly of Peace Builders in Warsaw in 1977 won second prize in the National Peace Committee competition, and subsequently an award at the 7th Polish Poster Biennale in Katowice.
“It may not be the most popular symbol created by Karol Śliwka, but it is certainly a very interesting one. It is a combination of two different symbolic orders in a single coherent symbol. Here, it is a dove – a symbol of peace – and a brick signifying construction. In a single element, something light and very heavy at the same time,” comments Hardziej.
The dove has been ‘built’ from rectangular, brick-like shapes arranged in a cross-like structure. This is a direct reference to the word ‘builders’ in the assembly’s name: peace is not a given; it must be constructed, brick by brick. The form is simple, conceptually brilliant and works immediately. Exactly as Śliwka liked it.
WSiP: etched in the memory of generations
“Many generations grew up with textbooks bearing this logo, so it is impossible not to mention it,” notes the exhibition curator.
We are, of course, talking about the WSiP logo, which accompanied many generations throughout their childhood. Designed in 1974, the logo depicted a stylised eagle’s head set within a graphic representation of a book – symbolising the fusion of education with national culture. A simple form, yet one of great depth: the bird and the book in a single symbol encapsulate the publishing house’s entire mission. In 1992, a crown was added above the eagle’s head, but the core of Śliwka’s design has survived the decades almost intact – for half a century, successive generations of pupils have gazed upon it, peeling off the covers of their textbooks.
It is only recently that the logo has undergone a transformation – the eagle has been replaced by a screen, symbolising new educational tools. Śliwka’s logo has served for exactly fifty years. Few designers can boast of anything similar.
National Library: the crown and the book
Another long-standing symbol of Śliwka is the National Library logo – and it would be hard to find a more prestigious commission. In 1990, the National Library, moving to its new headquarters in Pole Mokotowskie in Warsaw, commissioned the development of a new identity. Śliwka won the competition, and the distinctive crown above an open book remains the National Library’s logo to this day. The form is, once again, painfully simple, yet rich in meaning: the book as the foundation of knowledge, the crown as a symbol of national heritage and the institution’s gravitas. This is a design that emerged after the political transformation – Śliwka was nearly 60 years old at the time and still at the height of his creative powers. The logo has been displayed on the building on Aleje Niepodległości for over three decades, and there is no indication that it is set to disappear from there.
First in Warsaw, then Gdynia Design Days
These and dozens of other signs and works by Karol Śliwka will be on display from Thursday in the centre of Warsaw at an exhibition promoting the documentary film “Znaki Pana Śliwki” (Mr Śliwka’s Signs), which explores the designer’s life and work.
“We are delighted to have managed to organise this exhibition in such a central location as the PKO rotunda, as it is a place of historical significance for the artist,” emphasises curator Patryk Hardziej.
Admission to the exhibition is open to all. The artist’s works can be viewed between 12.00 and 18.00. In the evenings, screenings of the film “Znaki Pana Śliwki” take place – to attend, you must download a free ticket from https://www.znakipanasliwki.pl/
Following the presentation in Warsaw, the exhibition will go on tour across Poland. The next stop will be this year’s edition of the Gdynia Design Days 2026 festival, one of the most important design events in Poland, which this year will take place from 20–28 June at the Pomeranian Science and Technology Park in Gdynia. The nineteenth edition of the festival is organised under the slogan “closer”, emphasising the idea of mindfulness, accessibility and design in direct relation to people and their everyday experiences.
More information: https://www.znakipanasliwki.pl
