The Nationalist opposition candidate Karol Nawrocki just narrowly won Poland’s presidential election, “delivering a big blow to the centrist government’s efforts to cement Warsaw’s pro-European orientation,” reports Reuters.
Nawrocki claimed 50.89% of the vote and secured a victory for European conservatives inspired by U.S. President Donald Trump. The outcome “presages more political gridlock, as he is likely to use his presidential veto to thwart Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s liberal policy agenda.” Poland now has a right-wing foothold of high rank—but this was not always so …
The transformation to a free Polish society began in 1980, when a peaceful revolution gnawed away at and brought down the Communist-led government. Solidarność, aka Solidarity, emerged as the first independent trade union in a Warsaw Pact country—and it was recognized by the state, complete with its veritably ad hoc logo that symbolized the national movement for societal change.
Designed by Jerzy Janiszewski, the logo hit the public eye with the persuasive allure and rallying force of Milton Glaser’s I [Heart] New York logo—but it was arguably more consequential given its social, political and cultural rebirth. The logo was originally produced as a poster for the surprise August 1980 Lenin Shipyard strike, and by 1981 it had become an international symbol of the dissolution of the Iron Curtain.
The letterforms were designed to represent united people. Colloquially known as “Solidaric,” it was applied many times in posters and other pieces of art and design. Notable examples include a 1989 poster by Tomasz Sarnecki created for the first nascent “partially” free national election, featuring the heroic loner Gary Cooper as the marshal in High Noon.
Designer: Tomasz Sarnecki
History has shown too vividly that ideologies run in cycles—or more like rollercoasters—and the electorate is a fickle mass and a mighty wave. The world can only hope that this new development in Poland does not turn into a tsunami.
The post The Daily Heller: Poland’s Logo Design Ignited Freedom appeared first on PRINT Magazine.