It is the fonts that we grow up with that influence our sense of type aesthetics and design. Each of them holds a special place in our hearts.
I grew up in post-Soviet Russia but the majority of the fonts that I was exposed to as a child were designed in the Soviet Union. They come from a set of standard fonts that were used in all printed materials and especially textbooks. These fonts were designed to be simple and legible. They were also designed to be timeless.
Here are some of the classics that I particularly like and continue to adore till date.
Literaturnaya is the dominant serif typeface of Soviet typography, used in fiction and non-fiction books and textbooks. It never ages and continues to be my favorite serif font.
Shkolnaya (a.k.a. SchoolBook), another important font, is familiar to almost everyone brought up in Russia. This serif font stands out for its high legibility and simplicity. It was the standard typeface in all textbooks meant for primary grade students.
Bukvarnaya (TextBook) is a notable sans-serif known to anyone who grew up in Russia. It was widely used in children's books and materials.
The usage of some of these fonts is now gradually decreasing. They have however been digitized and are now owned by Paratype, a type foundry that holds the rights to many Soviet-era typefaces.
Made by Anton Vasetenkov.
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