Typeface for Komi Languages and Old Permic Script
Written heritage, made usable in contemporary type.
Lytkin is a contemporary sans serif supporting Latin, Cyrillic and Old Permic, with particular attention to the written heritage of the Komi languages. Developed as a non-commercial initiative for communities in the Komi Republic and Perm Krai, it covers modern and historical orthographies, including the Molodtsov alphabet and the Latin-based Komi writing system used from 1930 to 1936. Danilo Borovinić and Antonina Samokhina drew on linguist Vasily Lytkin’s comparative character tables and consulted members of the language community.
Set in Lytkin
Insights
- The family brings Latin, Cyrillic and Old Permic into one contemporary sans serif system.
- Its Komi coverage includes multiple generations of writing: modern Cyrillic orthographies, the Molodtsov alphabet and the Latin orthography used from 1930 to 1936.
- Vasily Lytkin’s comparative tables provided historical evidence for the Old Permic character designs.
- Consultation with language-community members complemented the historical research.
- The intended users include linguists, designers, typographers and language activists working with Old Permic and Komi written heritage.
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