Oleksandra Korchevska-Tsekhosh Through analysis of works by prominent Ukrainian designers like Okhrim Sudomora, Georgiy Narbut, Myron Levyskyi, Jacques Hnizdovskyi, and Vasyl Ermilov, this presentation explores how historical Ukrainian type design principles can inform modern parametric font development.
By examining Ukrainian type anatomy through four key components—grapheme and stem structure (“bones”), stroke characteristics (“flesh”), terminals and serifs (“hooves”), and decorative elements (“horns”)—we can identify systematic approaches that remain relevant for contemporary variable font design. With their unique relationship to Greek prototypes and Cossack writing traditions, Ukrainian letterforms offer valuable insights into managing multiple parameters while maintaining harmonic relationships. This raises important questions about contemporary type design: whether the pursuit of harmonic relationships remains relevant in an era of experimental typography, or if these traditional principles can be reinterpreted for modern parametric exploration.
The presentation demonstrates how historical examples reveal crucial principles for parameter balancing: the necessity of strong underlying structures, the relationship between stroke modulation and decorative elements, and the trade-offs between different design variables. These historical “recipes” show both carefully balanced designs and bold experimental combinations, providing keyframes for modern parametric Cyrillic-type design.