Ladislav Čisárik (29 December 1953 – 3 August 2017) was a Slovak heraldic artist, painter, and

graphic designer A graphic designer is a practitioner who follows the discipline of graphic design, either within companies or organizations or independently. They are professionals in design and visual communication, with their primary focus on transforming ...

. In 1990, Ladislav Čisárik and Ladislav Vrtel co-designed the

coat of arms of Slovakia The coat of arms of the Slovak Republic consists of a red (''gules'') shield, in early Gothic style, charged with a silver (''argent'') double cross standing on the middle peak of a dark blue mountain consisting of three peaks. Extremities of ...

, the current flag of Slovakia, and the

presidential standard The presidential standard or presidential flag is the flag that is used in many countries as a symbol of the head of state or president (government title), president. In some countries it may be for exclusive use of the president or only raised w ...

of the

president of Slovakia The president of the Slovak Republic () serves as the head of state of Slovakia and commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The people directly elect the president for five years, for a maximum of two consecutive terms. The presidency is essent ...

. He also designed or modified the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

and seals for more than 100 towns and municipalities in Slovakia.

Biography

Ladislav Čisárik was born on 29 December 1953. He owned and operated his own

graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art that involves creating visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdisciplinary branch of ...

studio, called Signum, in

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

from 1979 until his death in 2017. Ladislav Čisárik worked with the Heraldic Commission of Ministry of the Interior to create new Slovak

national symbol A national symbol is a manifestation of a nation or community, serving as a representation of their National identity, identity and values. National symbols may be not only applied to sovereign states but also nations and countries in a state of ...

s in the aftermath of the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...

, including a new flag and

. Working together, he and Ladislav Vrtel, an expert in

heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and genealo ...

, created a new

Coat of arms of Slovakia The coat of arms of the Slovak Republic consists of a red (''gules'') shield, in early Gothic style, charged with a silver (''argent'') double cross standing on the middle peak of a dark blue mountain consisting of three peaks. Extremities of ...

in 1990. Ladislav Čisárik and Vrtel based their modern design, which includes a double cross, on an existing 14th century Hungarian coat of arms, it was based on the seal of King

Louis I of Hungary Louis I, also Louis the Great (; ; ) or Louis the Hungarian (; 5 March 132610 September 1382), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1342 and King of Poland from 1370. He was the first child of Charles I of Hungary and his wife, Elizabeth of ...

. However, they chose to enlarge and triple the size of the double cross on their new coat of arms because they considered the cross to be a meaningful national symbol. Čisárik and Vrtel also designed the flag of Slovakia, which came into force on 3 September 1992, and the new presidential standard, both of which incorporate their coat of arms. In 1994, Ladislav Čisárik illustrated a guidebook called "''Najstaršie rody na Slovensku''" ("''Oldest Homes in Slovakia''"). He also released a map in poster format in 1996 which shows the official municipal flags and coats of arms for 136 cities in Slovakia. Ladislav Čisárik died on 3 August 2017, following a serious illness, at the age of 63. He was survived by his wife, Emilia Čisáriková.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cisarik, Ladislav 1953 births 2017 deaths Heraldic artists Coats of arms designers Flag designers Slovak graphic designers 20th-century Slovak painters 21st-century Slovak painters 20th-century Slovak illustrators 21st-century Slovak illustrators