In 1955 Cieslewicz graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. He was predominantly a (politically conscious) poster designer. He and his colleagues Julian Palka, Waldemar Swierzy, Jan Lenica, Henryk Tomaszewski and others made more than 200 Polish film posters a year. He migrated to France in 1963 and was naturalized in 1971. He was art director of Elle and Vogue and of the advertising agency Maffia. He designed for the magazines Opus International (1967–69) and Kitsch (1970–71). The Musée des Art Décoratifs, Galeries Lafayette, Hachette, the Centre Pompidou, and the Musée Picasso were among his clients. Throughout his career, Cieslewicz received many medals and honours. He commented on modern posters in an interview with Margo Rouard-Snowman in 1993: ‘Posters need powerful occasions and significant subjects, which they can’t find at the moment. As a means of communication they belong to another age and have very little future.’