Covers
Text on the covers of books and magazines
Exemplyary XX
Amnesia project
Do druku project
Throughout the 20th century, Ukrainian book design underwent many changes and upheavals, but the designers of past continue to inspire contemporary designers. Covers and lettering created a hundred years ago still appear modern and stylish.
A vast collection of Ukrainian book design is gathered in the Facebook group "Font Treasures (Historical)," led by Marcela Mozhina. In the archive, one can find works of the Ukrainian designers of the 20th century, both from within the country and the diaspora.
In the covers of the books, one can see the traditional Ukrainian letterform adjusted to the design movements of the time. While analyzing the archive, one can notice how the presence of traditional Ukrainian visual elements is much more present in the designs from the first half of the century, before the repressions of Stalin.
Covers and lettering created a hundred years ago still appear modern and stylish.
In search for the traditional letterform, one can refer to the covers of Ukrainian magazines, too. Екземпляри ХХ (Editions XX) is a project aimed at studying iconic periodicals associated with 20th-century literature and art,
whether they were published in Ukraine or within Ukrainian diaspora communities.
This project was carried out in 2020 and 2021 by the cultural and publishing platform "Chytomo." The research is centered around a curatorial approach, in which the team selected influential and prominent magazines that substantially impacted the cultural developments of their era and established noteworthy standards and trends. Екземляри ХХ can serve as illustrative examples of how to work with historical sources and reinvigorate cultural heritage and visual language.
In addition to Екземпляри ХХ, Chytomo launched the До друку project (To Print). The website lists the publishing houses once existent in Ukraine, together with the most known of their works.
This project was carried out in 2020 and 2021 by the cultural and publishing platform "Chytomo." The research is centered around a curatorial approach, in which the team selected influential and prominent magazines that substantially impacted the cultural developments of their era and established noteworthy standards and trends. Екземляри ХХ can serve as illustrative examples of how to work with historical sources and reinvigorate cultural heritage and visual language.
In addition to Екземпляри ХХ, Chytomo launched the До друку project (To Print). The website lists the publishing houses once existent in Ukraine, together with the most known of their works.
