Solidarity (Solidarność) was founded in September 1980 after a wave strike action in the Gdańsk shipyard. It was the first free trade union in an Eastern Bloc country and became the leading political force opposing the communist regime in Poland.
<aside> 📌 In the face of censorship and state-controlled media, banners, and printed materials such as posters were a vital means of free expression and communication. Most graphics were produced at a grassroots community level on small underground presses by designers and ordinary citizens working together with few resources.
</aside>
Solidarity’s logo turns the word polish word Solidarność (meaning solidarity) into a dynamic image of people standing together. Drawn by graphic artist Jerzy Janiszewski, it was intended to capture the collective spirit of the striking workers. It had a broad emotional appeal that encompassed a range of associations, including the traditional socialist motif of the crowd, the red and white bands of the Polish national flag, and the blood of martyred Polish workers. The hand painted feel of the letters added a sense of immediacy.
“The concept came… [from] people in the dense crowds leaning on one another – that was characteristic of the crowds in front of the [factory] gate. They didn’t press or push each other, but they leaned on each other, neither standing by themselves nor falling on others.”
