Ernő Sára, born in 1947, graduated from the Electrical Engineering Technical School in 1965, and then joined the advertising department of the Factory of Mechanical Measuring Instruments. He graduated as a graphic designer from the Hungarian College of Applied Arts. His strong tendency for self-education, his study trips abroad and his early work in the vicinity of important masters were of great importance in his professional development. He considers László Kiss and Gábor Papp as his masters. His rapid professional development is also demonstrated by the fact that he has been teaching the profession since 1966 and was a lecturer at the Faculty of Science of ELTE for many years. A significant role in his professional training was played by the Derkovits Gyula Creative Association, which flourished during this period and was engaged in the design and implementation of fairs, fair designs and portals at home and abroad, on behalf of Hungarian foreign trade companies. During this period, however, he had already designed calendars, brochures and advertisements. In recognition of his work, he became a member of the Art Fund in 1971 (since 1992, the National Association of Hungarian Artists). An important period and milestone in his professional development was his one-year stay at the Art Institut Orell Füsli in Zurich, where he arrived via Vienna and Munich and worked for a year from 1973. Prior to that, he had also worked on illustration commissions in Vienna. In Switzerland, he received a ‘gestallter’ contract at the largest art institute in German-speaking Switzerland of the time. He was strongly influenced by the clear, logical thinking and puritanism of Switzerland. The perfection of the technical background, the impeccable printing press and the efficiency of the well-equipped studios were important to him. In 1976, he was presented as a Swiss Hungarian graphic artist in the publications of Franco Maria Ricci Editore of Milan. It was at this time that his original logos and emblems came to the attention of the public, a field of activity that would later become central to his work.
In the Derkovits Creative Community, he was able to work with the greatest of the profession and thus such outstanding artists of applied graphics became his masters as Ferenc Töreky, Antal Gunda and Vilmos Kovács. In the first period, Ernő Sára was given partial commissions for these complex works, but he was able to learn the technical techniques, technologies, working processes, the variety of materials and the importance of scale. Collaboration with architects and interior designers was an important part of his work. In later years, he was given several major trade fair design assignments, which he carried out in many locations around the world. Following an earlier working relationship, he became a member of the creative community in 1982. For about three decades, the backbone of his work and livelihood was a series of exhibitions, which, professionally, lasted only a few days, but required intensive preparation and even more efficient execution. These exhibitions were held in a wide variety of venues, such as hotels, sports halls, restaurants and fairgrounds.
Since 1978 he has been an exhibiting artist. In the same year, he exhibited his work at the most important applied graphic art forum in Hungary, the Békéscsaba Applied Graphics Biennial, where he was a constant participant, exhibitor and later one of the organizers. This is evidenced by his winning the Biennial's first prize in 1984. In 1986, he participated in the 100+1 years of Hungarian posters summary exhibition at the Műcsarnok (Kunsthalle) in Budapest. His works are also exhibited abroad, notably at the Brno Biennale of Graphic Arts in 1988. In 1988-89 he worked in Vienna, Austria. In 1989 he exhibits his already significant collection of emblems in the Kisgaléria in Pécs. In the same year, he becomes a member of the board of the Derkovits Gyula Creative Society. The enterprise survived the regime change [in 1989] and was able to operate for another year or two, but in the radically changed social environment it ceased to exist in 1994.
One of the main areas of his work is the design of logos and emblems, which are characterised by simplicity, emphasis and memorability, while at the same time representing the professional field and profile of the client. Typically, he works in black and white, which simplifies the use of his designs in a wide range of applications. In the 1980s, he was one of the most renowned designers in the profession, representing a high level of complexity. In 1988, he became a member of the Association of Hungarian Fine and Applied Artists, then the top organization in the field. It is no coincidence that, as a result of his complex interests and professional training, he has been the image designer for the Museum of Applied Arts and the Nagytétény Palace Museum since 1989, designing advertising, publications, books, catalogues and posters, and the complexity of this assignment is increased by the fact that his work includes the design of publications for both museum collections and contemporary art collections.
After the regime change, he set up his own graphic design company, Atelier 21, which he then used to carry out his commissions, which could be either independent design tasks or the realisation of individual, small-scale designs. His main task is to design tourist publications, mainly as a complex graphic designer for the Medina Tours travel agency. Closely linked to this, from 1993 he became the constant designer of the entire image of Best Reisen Travel Agency, with constant visual and technical updating, designing the company's logos and publications, which also meant that he took on the task of editing them and played a role in the design of the company's advertising image. The advertising publications he designs stand out for their sophistication and visual appeal. From 1989 to 2004, he designed the logo, brochure and corporate identity for the Liszt Academy of Music, creating a visual identity that is elevated, elegant and in keeping with the bourgeois tradition of the school and the building. At this time, he became one of the busiest artists in the profession, thanks to his almost unique professionalism, his profound knowledge of the entire professional and technological chain of the field, and his ability to incorporate innovative techniques into his design and construction work. His wide range of interests is shown by the fact that between 1994 and 2002 he was the logo and image designer for Lampart Chemical Machinery, from 1994 he also worked for Linde Gas Hungary Zrt. as a logo and image designer, and from 1994 he also worked for the pharmaceutical industry, designing logos, advertisements and brochures for Ciba-Novartis Hungária. His almost panoramic interest is indicated by the fact that for more than ten years, from 1998 to 2008, Humánsoft Informatika Kft. was also his client: he designed publications, information materials and logos for them. In 2002, he was commissioned to organise a special exhibition to commemorate the centenary of Imre Steindl's death (architect of the Parliament Building) and to design a publication based on this. In 2002, he became the advertising and publication designer for the Hopp Ferenc Museum of East Asian Art, an important workshop in the cultural-museum field, which is always close to him. In 2005, he became the designer of the periodical SZÍNPAD – Előadóművészetek technikája [STAGE – Technique of Performing Arts] for the Hungarian Association of Theatre Technology. Since 2007, he has had a continuous working relationship with Família Bergmann Kft., a catering and confectionery company based in Balatonfüred. Ernő Sára is also a brand designer here, and at the same time the designer of logos and publications. He has played a major role in turning the striking visual identity into an important marketing tool in some cases. He was commissioned by the Embassy of Finland in Hungary as well as the Harmony Lifestyle Centre to design their brochures and image. His connection to the Balaton region also plays a role in the fact that from 2008 he designed labels for the Pécselyvölgyi distillery and later for the winery run by Tamás Dúzsi. The design of labels is a special field of graphic design, in which Ernő Sára has produced artistic works in recent years.
Ernő Sára is active in all areas of graphic design. He is equally at home in the design of emblems, logos and coats of arms as he is in the design of packaging, brochures, catalogues and small print products. He also designs certificates and even flags. Exhibition graphics, its complexity, the world of publications and books, and the design of the images that unite them, were an important field for him.
Logos and emblems have already been mentioned, but it is important to note that there are designs that will serve their purpose for decades. It is certainly a record in Hungarian design graphics that the logo of the Magyar Hirdető, designed in 1975, is still used by the company today, even though – especially in today's economic processes – logos and symbols quickly become obsolete and erode. Calligraphic work of high quality for the Hungarian National Bank is among his works.
Coat of arms design occupies a significant place in his work. This field requires special preparation and research work, since only with a profound knowledge of history, geography and heraldry is it possible to design a valuable, accurate, precise and at the same time imaginative coat of arms. He has designed the coats of arms of several settlements, where it is important to note that we are talking about settlements not only within our borders, but also beyond our borders (of course, they are typically of Hungarian origin). Noteworthy are the designs for the Magdolna Quarter, the Palace Quarter, the Corvin Quarter, but he has also designed coats of arms for Budavár, the 11th district of Budapest, Csepel, Józsefváros, Dorog, Kesztölc, Balatonszőlős, Tiszainoka. In 2016, he designed a coat of arms with a profound message for the events of the Zrínyi Memorial Year.
His posters play a key role in his career. These works are also permeated by a kind of ornamental conception. His posters never represent a cold functionalism but are always saturated with emotion. This characterises his posters for the now classic Day of Hungarian Culture or the World Federation of Hungarians. Hungarian culture is rooted in the heart; it sprouts from the heart. With his 1989 poster, entitled Középeurópa (Middle Europe), he created a work of cathartic and elevated symbolism by placing a representation of Christ at the centre. The artist has produced many posters in connection with his previously mentioned commissions (Museum of Applied Arts, Esterházy Treasury, Ajka Crystal, Egypt, Morocco, etc.). His work has played a major role in preserving the poster genre, even if their public significance has been radically reduced.
One of the characteristics of Ernő Sára's graphic design work is the demanding service of a wide range of clients, which includes the public sector as well as the business sector, tourism, culture, museums, public collections and local governments.
From the very beginning, Ernő Sára has been an active participant in the public life of applied graphics and design graphics. Since 1992, he has been one of the key players in the creation of the Chamber of Graphic Designers, which, despite many initiatives, discussions, drafts and negotiations, was not finally established (at least in legal terms). In 1992, he became a member of the board of Hungart, a visual copyright protection and management organisation, and in 1998 he was appointed president of the applied arts section of the National Association of Hungarian Creative Artists. Since 2002, he has been a member of the board of the Hungarian Association of Fine and Applied Artists, and since that year he has also been a copyright and forensic expert. Since 2004 he has been a member of the Diploma Committee for Graphic Design at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts, since 2013 he has been a corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Arts and Design, and since 2015 he has been a full member of the Hungarian Academy of Arts and Design, following his inaugural address on 27 September 2014. The title of his inaugural address was on a topic that has long been of interest to him: Jelbeszéd (Sign Language). Signs, communication through signs, the visual importance of signs, together with the exploration of autobiographical aspects, formed the centre of his thought.
Ernő Sára mainly participated in important group exhibitions, among which the Biennials of graphic design in Békéscsaba stand out, where he not only participated but also organised more often as time went by. He has also participated in all the major Hungarian poster exhibitions (A változás plakátjai [Posters of Change], Hungarian National Gallery, 1992, Plakátparnasszus [Poster Parnassus], 1996). In the late 2000s his work was shown in San Diego and Santiago de Chile. In 2013, the Csepel Gallery organised a major group exhibition of his works (the artist has been a resident of Csepel for decades and a local patriot of this part of the city), and in 2014 he exhibited his works at the Józsefváros Gallery, focusing on coats of arms and emblems, but also presenting his exhibition designs and posters. In 2014, he was not only one of the organisers and curators, but also exhibitor of the representative debut exhibition of the MMA Section of Applied Arts and Design entitled Névjegy (Name Card) in Esztergom.
In addition to the first prize of the 1984 Biennale of Békéscsaba, Ernő Sára won the World Star Award in 1995 together with Eszter Domé for the design of the Hélia packaging in Beijing. In 2002 he received the Ferenczy Noémi Award, in 2010 the Aranyrajzszög Award and in 2012 he won the Konecsni Award, an important prize of his profession, graphic design.
A catalogue of Ernő Sára's work was published in 1970, 1980 and 1990. An important source work is the publication Jelbeszéd, Emlémák (Sign Language, Emblems), published by him and his company Atelier 21 in 2005, which, after an introduction by Juli Nemes and the artist, publishes the most important emblems and logos designed during his career.
In general, Sára Erő's approach to design is characterized by a synthesis of tradition and modernity, on the technical side by a combination of craftsmanship and the highest technology (high-tech), which means the incorporation of digital design and printing into his oeuvre. His approach is defined by the fact that his designs are not based on morbid, grotesque and astonishing ideas, but on a deeply humanised style, emotional engagement, a feeling of empathy, which is very much ornate and highly aesthetic, and which also refers, in a certain way, to a certain national character, its presence and its importance. His human, professional attitude is characterised by a kind of perfectionism, i.e. the need to do everything perfectly, and at the same time, elegance and a world of extremely good taste may be the defining concepts of his oeuvre. His work, as he himself put it, can be transformed into the ability of the graphic designer to create added value. He is an important creator of the professional principle, that graphic design as a visual communication should not only provide information, but also an experience. Ernő Sára is approaching his seventieth birthday and is considered one of the most important designers in Hungarian graphic design.
[2016]