When Marinski Heartmades ceramics pivoted from playful dreaminess towards elegant-slash-feminine dreaminess, it was time for a remake. And the typefaces chosen for such direction were Estilo Pro and Synerga.

Each piece of Marinski ceramics is a small, unique ode to nature. Just like each letter is.

Zhuk Vodoljub i Tarhany (“The Diving Beetle and the Cockroaches”) is a Ukrainian children’s book published by ACCA, with stories by Ukranian poet, writer and linguist Maik Yohansen (Майк Йогансен, 1895–1937). The book features a lively and varied typographic approach that combines several contemporary Ukrainian typefaces, supporting the playful narrative while maintaining clarity for young readers.

The publication relies on a multi-font system rather than a single dominant typeface. Script and display fonts are used for titles, short phrases, and expressive accents, helping to convey mood, humor, and character. These more decorative styles appear alongside a neutral sans serif, which is used for longer passages to ensure readability throughout the book.

Among the typefaces used is Bairak Script Regular by Oleksandr Donchenko, which adds a handwritten, informal tone to selected elements. DR Agu Sans Medium by Dmytro Rastvortsev serves as the primary readable sans serif, while DR Galushki Hole Regular, also by Rastvortsev, introduces a playful display character well suited to children’s publishing.

Additional display fonts include Kolyada Regular by Kyrylo Tkachov of Inner Space, which brings a folkloric feel, and Pomidorko 2 Regular by Antonina Chikhiro, used for bold and expressive typographic moments. Decorative accents are further enriched by Spaghetti Script by Iryna Dviliuk, contributing to the informal and friendly atmosphere of the layouts. The Espuma Pro font by Andrii Konstantynov from Mint Type is also used.

Typography and illustration are closely integrated throughout the book. The rounded, soft letterforms echo the shapes and rhythms of the illustrations, creating a cohesive visual language across spreads without overwhelming the page.

The illustrations were created by Veronika Bondur, Tetiana Zuiko, Anastasiia Makovetska, Elvira Mishchenko, Daria Shevchenko, and Anastasiia Krapivina. The cover was designed by Larysa Chaika.

Кассандра помиляється раз (“Cassandra Is Wrong Once”) by Ukrainian essayist Oksana Shchur documents the emotional and intellectual landscape of a generation shaped by migration, war, and cultural transformation. Moving between Kyiv, Vienna, Berlin, and Paris, Shchur reflects on identity, exile, and irony in essays that merge documentary precision with literary intimacy.

Published by Choven, the book captures the atmosphere of contemporary Ukrainian non-fiction – sharp, reflective, and self-aware. The cover, designed by Oksana Vaskiv, visualizes themes of movement and dislocation through travel-stamp motifs and transport icons. The combination of deep blue and fluorescent magenta conveys both urgency and distance, echoing the contrast between the inner and outer worlds explored in the text.

Typography reinforces this dialogue: the title is set in Grunt Grotesk, a strong and modern grotesque typeface that suggests clarity and determination. Supporting typography includes Fiorina Title, Vollkorn, and Inerta, balancing expressive serifs with geometric restraint. The mix of typefaces mirrors the book’s interplay between reportage and reflection – between cultural commentary and personal voice.

Two essential works by American historian Timothy Snyder, Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin and On Freedom, have been published in Ukraine by Choven in collaboration with Local History and the bookstore Sens.

Both titles, cornerstones of modern non-fiction, explore totalitarianism, violence, and the fragility of freedom in Europe’s twentieth century – topics that have gained renewed urgency amid Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.

The Ukrainian editions are titled Криваві землі and Про свободу and were translated by Yulia Semenyuk and Galina Gerasim, respectively. Designed by Oksana Vaskiv, they merge historical gravity with contemporary visual clarity. The restrained layout and symbolic use of color evoke both archival precision and civic engagement – reflecting Snyder’s balance between moral reflection and analytical depth.

Typography enhances this duality: the covers feature Recht and Excentra, while the text is set in Georgia, Arsenal, Excentra, and Fiorina Title. The blend of classic and modern typefaces mirrors Snyder’s synthesis of historical research and public philosophy – academic yet profoundly human.

The Ukrainian publisher Choven has released Голоси BLM, or Voices of Black Lives Matter, a new book by researcher and artist Oksana Briukhovetska. It's a powerful work, based on years of fieldwork and extensive interviews that began during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in the US. The book’s aim is to give a voice to a complex and often overlooked side of American life.

Beyond the content, the book’s design effectively supports its mission. The typographic choices establish a clear visual system that is both serious and compelling.

The typography is built on a strong contrast. For the main text, the designers chose Vollkorn, a classical serif typeface known for its excellent readability and authority. It provides a reliable and solid foundation for the book's powerful narratives.

To create a striking visual identity, the designers paired Vollkorn with a combination of three sans-serifs for headlines and accents. Murs Gothic, with its bold, dynamic forms, immediately draws the reader's attention and gives the headlines a strong presence. This is complemented by two typefaces from Andriy Konstantynov. Accia Sans, a versatile humanist sans-serif, is used for its clean, professional look, while Excentra adds a layer of unique character to key visual elements.

By balancing the traditional strength of Vollkorn with the modern, assertive feel of these three sans-serifs, the book's design successfully reflects its content: a deep look into history through a contemporary lens.

Designer – Oksana Vaskiv

Illustrator – Oksana Bryukhovetska

Edited by Janusz Bugajski and published by Rogue Umbrella, the book was designed by Zakhar Kryvoshyya, using Kamenyar for the cover and Diaria and Diaria Sans for the text inside of the book. From the project website:

Free Nations, New States: The End Stage of Russian Colonialism is an anthology of insights, experience, and effective prescriptions by leading experts from the regions of Russia and abroad who reveal a glimpse of the coming realities in Russia that Vladimir Putin does not want you to know.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many pundits made predictions about the strength and stability of Russia. They neglect to properly understand Russia’s military failure in Ukraine has set in motion its own demise, including the collapse of the colonial system under which it has controlled the regions of the world’s largest territory.

Similar distorted predictions about the political integrity of the Soviet Union left Western intelligence agencies shocked by its sudden break-up and kept policy makers unprepared to manage the consequences of political persecution, suppressed ethnic rivalries, potential nuclear proliferation, interstate wars, and nationalism within the 15 newly independent republics.

As ethnic minorities and regional interests reemerge in the Russian Federation today, how will they assert their own cultural ideals and sovereignty in preparation for the coming dissolution of Russia? Are Western capitals’ myopic fears about nuclear proliferation, regional wars, and rising nationalism still valid? Labelled a “terrorist organization” by the Russian government, the Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum is providing a blueprint for the national revivals, cultural renaissance, and economic development that lies ahead.

Три королі повертаються додому (“The three kings return home”) is a book by Halyna Pahutyak, published by the Ще одну сторінку (One more page) publishing house and is available for order from their parent company Ranok publishing house. The book is designed by Anna Gavryliuk and illustrated by Natalka Soiko. Kingfall by Michael Rafailyk is used for the cover and titles. The text font is Fiorina by Andriy Konstantynov. Photography by Ola Rafailyk.

If you believe and look closely, you can see a real miracle even among the well-known age-old Christmas rituals. In the established traditions of Christmas holidays, Halyna Pahutyak notices a subtle, incomprehensible magic of a miracle and shares with readers a piece of her Christmas on the village.

Слуга з Добромиля (“The Servant from Dobromil”) is the second book (along with This Is Your Destiny) by Halyna Pahutyak, published by Ще одну сторінку (“One more page”), and is available for order from their parent company, Ranok publishing house.

For the book The Servant from Dobromil, the author Halyna Pahutyak became the laureate of the Shevchenko Prize in 2010. The book is designed and illustrated by Anna Gavryliuk. The Morta typeface by Michael Rafailyk is used on the cover and titles, while the body copy is set in Fiorina Text by Andriy Konstantynov.

The Servant from Dobromil begins to tell his story of seven hundred years. He, a dhampir—the son of an ogre and a witch—was born in these lands, saw their prosperity and decline. Now, he has returned to close the circle of time, where the past and the future are layered like the land on which the Dobromyl Monastery stands.

Літопис Українського Дизайну, or The Chronicle of Ukrainian Design, is a new periodical print publication about the history and development of Ukrainian design, initiated by the design bureau Spiilka. The magazine aims to observe and demonstrate how Ukrainian design identity was born and has evolved.

From the times of Kyivan Rus to present-day large-scale international partnerships, Ukrainian creative professionals describe how design in Ukraine is functional, attentive to tradition, and at the same time innovative.

Topics of the first issue include: Vasyl Krychevsky, the emblem of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, the e-Ukraine typeface, the “State in a Smartphone” initiative, Volodymyr Pobedin, the Eney bicycle, and more.

Typography, graphic design, industrial and product design, digital design—The Chronicle of Ukrainian Design covers these areas and tells about the projects and designers that have influenced Ukraine and Ukrainians and have gained recognition worldwide.

The first issue was created by the Spiilka team in collaboration and partnership with the school of popular culture SKVOT. It is also supported by the Ukrainian IT company MacPaw, the EdTech company Headway, and the leading law firm Vasyl Kisil & Partners.

See the website of IST Publishing for detailed credits.

Paoletta is an Italian brand of honey and other healthy products. For the logotype the designers from Sparrow Design used the typeface Loggia from Typeverything. The text on the labels is added in Ponzu by Mint Type.

Photography by Łukasz Mazurkiewicz.

The book Фіолетова тінь (“Purple Shadow”) is a collection of mystical Ukrainian prose, compiled by Anastasia Bidonko.

A fairy tale intertwined with reality, a belief lost in history, magic hidden in a story. Ukrainian classics have created stories that will make you fall in love with the atmosphere of the Ukrainian mystical night. The selection includes texts of short prose by Ukrainian writers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Among them are Hryhorii Kvitka-Osnovianenko, Natalia Kobrynska, Bohdan Lepky, Svyatoslav Olshenko-Vilkha, Anna Barvinok and others.

The book was designed by Anna Gavryliuk, using illustrations by Masha Foya and Sealt by Michael Rafailyk for the cover, headlines, and page numbers. The text typeface is Fiorina by Andriy Konstantynov. Фіолетова тінь was published by One more page.

Photography by Ola Rafailyk

The book is published by the Ще одну сторінку (One more page) publishing house and is available for order from their parent company Ranok publishing house.

Се твоя доля (“This is your destiny”) is a book by Halyna Pahutyak, a representative of Ukrainian gothic and magical realism and laureate of the Shevchenko Prize. “I just like everything unusual and wonderful. This is also a reality. I want everyone to know that in this gloomy everyday life there are many doors that open to other worlds. I find and show some of them”, Halyna says.​​​​​​

When a good story meets a right typography, a little miracle happens. The designer and illustrator of the book, Anna Gavryliuk, felt this vibe of magical stories and perfectly synthesized it with an illustration and typography.

The Morta typeface used on the cover and titles is all about strange and unknown, and is therefore a good visual key to opening the doors to the magical worlds of Halyna Pahutyak. “While working on concept sketches, I synthesized such theses as historical and cartoon, mystical and attractive. The slant of the italics is flipped the other way to give the feeling of looking from the other side, from behind a mirror,” Michael Rafailyk, says about his Morta concept.

Fiorina Text was used for the body text. It’s a typeface by Andriy Konstantynov, who is also a Ukrainian developer.

Telegraf.Design is a Ukrainian media company dedicated to design and creative and tech industries. In 2021, it presented a unique artifact to the world: the first printed magazine about Ukrainian design.

Issue 1 of Telegraf magazine discusses Ukrainian identity, achievements, and fears. It showcases Ukrainian design through the eyes of those who create it. The magazine consists of 200 incredibly beautiful pages and involved the participation of 25 talented contributors in its creation.

It also features the premiere of Dmytro Rastvortsev’s DR Kruk. Inerta has been used as the main typeface for the articles. Mariupol serves for the magazine logo.

The magazine was designed by Nonna Starushchenko (Нонна Старущенко), Glib Kaporikov, and Dima Muzychenko (Дима Музыченко) from LLIWELL.

Detail from the magazine website

Detail from the magazine website

Opened in 1982, Yria Hotel is a charming family-owned hotel located in the main town of Zakynthos island, Greece. The identity we designed takes inspiration from the hotel’s history, location, and the Art Deco qualities of the original logo. It features a delicate symbol made up of the initials Y and H and the arch—an ever-present element in Zakynthian architecture and also part of the hotel’s building design. The wordmark, which contains the name and the founding year, was designed using the contemporary-looking yet elegant Orchidea by Mint Type foundry, a typeface balancing on the verge of sans and serif, thus functioning as a conceptual bridge between the past and future of the business. It’s supported by Open Sans.

Тайна занавеса (The Mystery of the Curtain) was a special several-week long theatrical event at the Marina Tsvetayeva’s House Museum in Moscow. It began in February 2020 and was supposed to run until early April, but the Covid-19 pandemic cut it short. Shown here are the posters designed for the event.

Glückstreter (“lucky sneakers”) is a neighborhood footwear store in Bremen, Germany. Established in 2013, their logo uses a font that was released the same year. Andriy Konstantynov’s Ristretto Slab (Mint Type) is used in all caps, featuring a custom compact umlaut with a single stroke instead of two dots.

Italic caps and numerals from Vin Sans are used on the packaging of the LEGO® Overwatch® series. The same typeface is also used for headings on the dedicated web pages, where it is paired with Lato for text. The Overwatch logo is probably custom, and could be based on Bank Gothic Bold or similar.

The LEGO® Overwatch® collectible toy sets are the results of a truly fun collaboration between Overwatch game franchise creators Blizzard Entertainment and a team of creative LEGO model designers.