Klynok (meaning “saber blade” in Ukrainian) is a shapeshifting type system inspired by Ukrainian Cossack Baroque heritage. It also draws from the image of the Cossack-kharakternyk, a warrior figure from Ukrainian folklore believed to transform into a wolf.
Ukrainian Cyrillic has long been overshadowed by russian influence and propaganda, which have spread an imperialist perception of the script worldwide. Drawing on extensive historical research into Ukrainian manuscripts from the late 16th to the early 18th century, the typeface explores traditional Ukrainian letterforms and poses the question: What would the organic development of Ukrainian Cyrillic have looked like without the russian 1708 civil script reform?
Klynok captures the essence of Ukrainian Cossack Baroque heritage and the warrior’s duality, highlighting historical letterforms and their modern adaptations for contemporary use. The letterforms evolve across multiple styles while maintaining their core identity. The design incorporates elements of Ukrainian skoropys style, blending dynamism, geometry, cursiveness, and spikiness. The result is a versatile, multi-style type family that celebrates Ukrainian identity and is ideally suited for editorial use.
It includes display, text, and italic styles in both Ukrainian Cyrillic and Latin.
