New East Digital Archive

Bold and beautiful: Ukrainian book design from the last century

Bold and beautiful: Ukrainian book design from the last century

13 May 2020

Get inspired with an array of 20th century Ukrainian book cover designs with our follow of the week, @ukrainianbookdesign.

The book covers date from the 1930s all the way to the 90s.

With titles ranging from world literature classics to Soviet political propaganda, the designs show how, despite censorship, graphic artists found ways to express their talent, creativity, and vision.

The account curator, a Lviv-based UX designer called Lana, said she set up @ukrainianbookdesign after visiting her parents and looking back at the books she grew up with. “I was impressed by the quality of the layout, the thoughtfulness of the covers, the integrity of the concepts,” Lana told The Calvert Journal.

Lana started the project in March, just as Ukraine went under lockdown, and finds the photos of the book covers she posts on the account from family, friends, and subscribers.

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