If one could carve letters out of concrete blocks of flats, they would look exactly like the Prymityv typeface by Małgorzata Bartosik. Indeed, on Typoteka, an index of typefaces by Polish designers, we read that ‘it gives the impression of being made of concrete, reminiscent of Soviet monuments and other elements of the former Soviet Union’s urban space’. Russian constructivism, which gained traction in visual arts and architecture in the 1920s, was based on simplicity, geometric lines and shapes derived from futurism and cubism. It quickly took over lettering, too, with Aleksandr Rodchenko being one of the designers who worked in this expansive style. His new form of communication was characterised by raw forms and bold, sans serif typefaces.
A similar kind of rough, heavy form can be seen in the typography created by Bartosik in 2020. The designer has perfectly conveyed the overwhelming atmosphere of overcrowded apartment blocks. The chunky letters and numbers create the impression of suffocation, with only a small amount of white space – a typographic term referring to the empty spaces between the elements of text – resembling narrow windowpanes allowing one to take a breath. Despite the cramped structure, the signs retain a minimum of legibility. Prymityv, including both the Latin alphabet with European diacritics and the Cyrillic script, is therefore suitable for display advertisements, whose aim is to attract the attention of viewers and persuade them to undertake a particular action. Minimalism and modernism, as well as analogue design techniques (screen printing, collage, lino print), are of central interest to Bartosik, who completed her degree in graphic design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź. She is the author of several more typographic projects, such as Bohemaz, inspired by Art Deco; Solanum, combining a vintage style with a contemporary one; and Milky Bar, for which menu boards in Warsaw’s milk bars served as a prototype.
The art of the font