Design in Poland - Transition to Modernity
| Pages | 20-22 |
DECEMBER 2011
20
DESIGN IN POLAND
TRANSITION TO
MODERNITY
Applauding the “rich and varied display of Polish
design, WIPO Director General Francis Gurry said
that the exhibition, “demonstrates why the ‘Made
in Poland’ label has earned such international rec-
ognition and respect.” He underlined the com-
mercial importance of industrial designs, noting
that, “when the functional elements of an object
do not dier signicantly from product to product,
their design or appearance is likely to be one of the
major determinants of success in the marketplace.”
Some 700,000 applications for industrial designs are
led around the world each year in many areas of
industry and commerce. WIPO’s Hague System for
the International Registration of Industrial Designs
(
www.wipo.int/hague
) oers designers and com-
panies a rapid, cost-eective route for protecting
their designs against unauthorized copying and
imitation in international markets.
A voyage of discovery
A centerpiece of the exhibition was the spectacular
Whaletone piano, presented by its creator, pioneer-
ing designer Robert Majkut.
Inspired by a dream, the elegant form of the
Whaletone resembles a whale arching its body as
it breaks the waterline. An advanced digital piano,
the Whaletone offers an “interpretation of the
shape of a classic grand piano in the language of
modern design.”
“I saw this very strange and beautiful form in my
dream – a whale rising from the water in a strange
form resembling a piano,” Mr. Majkut told WIPO
Magazine, drawing a parallel between the melodi-
ous calls and majestic beauty of marine mammals
and that of a classical grand piano whose form
has changed little over the years. “When I saw this
form in my dreams, I decided I had to build it,” Mr.
Majkut said.
The importance of design
The exhibition was opened by His Excellency
Ambassador Henczel of the Permanent Mission
of Poland to the UN Oce at Geneva, Dr. Alicja
Adamczak, President of the Patent Oce of the
Republic of Poland, and WIPO Director General
Francis Gurry.
Ambassador Henczel underlined the “enormous
importance” of industrial design “for the economy
and culture as well as its inuence in all spheres
of our lives.” He said that Polish design was syn-
onymous with “modernity and growth,” and that
the “originality”, “ingenuity” and “sense of form”
displayed by Polish designers made them “advo-
cates of the Polish culture and artistic creation,”
contributing to a “new perception” of the country.
Dr. Adamczak pointed to the importance of
design in knowledge-based economies, saying it
“is undoubtedly one of the stimuli for economic
growth.” She underlined the importance of design
in inuencing consumer choice and explains, in the
foreword of the exhibition brochure, that “the legal
protection of a product within the area of indus-
trial designs should be an indispensable strategic
element of each company” in commercializing
its products. “Such protection… will stimulate
and protect innovation and creativity ensuring
economic profits as well as the exclusiveness
and uniqueness of the results of creative ideas
and activity.” Dr. Adamczak said that “investing in
design in Poland as a national brand” is a priority
of the Polish Government, noting that the exhibi-
tion “is not only proof of the great progress that
has occurred in our country in the transformation
period which started 20 years ago, but also of the
extraordinary role of design in that transformation,
inuencing the image of Polish projects and the
Polish economy.”
Polish design is alive and kicking. This was evident at a recent exhibition displaying the groundbreaking
work of some 30 Polish industrial designers and featuring products ranging from household appliances
to medical equipment and from vehicles to furniture and toys. The event, organized on the sidelines of
this year’s annual meetings of WIPO Assemblies, oered delegates a taste of Polish creativity at its best.
Entitled “Design in Poland – Transition to Modernity” the exhibition was organized by the Patent Oce of
the Republic of Poland and the Permanent Mission of Poland to the United Nations (UN) Oce at Geneva,
in cooperation with WIPO.
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