Plovdiv's Handwriting
A project that collects and analyses Plovdiv's characteristic handwriting and turns it into a unique typeface to be passed down as a heritage from Plovdiv – European Capital of Culture 2019.
#пишанаръка
On the occasion of 24 May, the Day of the Slavonic Script Plovdiv 2019 will launch a campaign dedicated to the Cyrillic alphabet and its singular place in world's culture as a whole and the programme of the European Capital of Culture in particular. The campaign is under the motto #пишанаръка (write by hand). The underlying concept is to encourage writing by hand even in the times of nearly complete digitation.
From 24 to 26 May 2019, from 10.30 to 12.30 and from 15.00 to 19.00, at designated spots across the city (Stefan Stambolov Sq, Marukyan Sq at the Kapana District, Lauta park, The Rowing Canal, Tsar Simeonova Garden, Mladezhki Hill), Plovdivians and city guests are invited to write a sentence in Bulgarian that includes all the letters in the alphabet, or to upload texts on social media, under the hashtag #пишанаръка.
A team from the graphic design studios PUNKT and Typedepot will then collect and analyse the texts.
Some 4,000 handwritings recreate the specific character of the city
Plovdiv Typeface is a typeface family conceived and created with Plovdiv in mind, and inspired by the idea of what it means to be a Plovdivian. It was developed on the basis of some 4,000 samples of handwriting provided by volunteers. The five-font family is now part of Plovdiv 2019 heritage.
You can check details about the manuscripts and the process of analysis of the letter shapes on plovdivtypeface.com. Starting 1 November 2019, you can download the Plovdiv Typeface family. The set contains seven variants of the typeface inspired by the city’s character – varied, multi-layered, tolerant and unified.
There are three base fonts: the handwriting Plovdiv Script, the finely spun Plovdiv Display, and the practical Plovdiv Sans. But it’s the two tongue-in-cheek variants that display the set’s true colours — Plovdiv Pictograms and Plovdiv Maina Mode. The former uses pictograms distilled from Plovdiv 2019’s official visual identity, and these are now offered as symbols of the city. The latter “translates” a typed text into Plovdiv’s slang, making your missives sound the way a true Plovdivian would speak. The Plovdiv Typeface set is available for free download and use as part of the Plovdiv identity.
Plovdiv typeface is available for free download at www.plovdivtypeface.com.
Website: plovdivtypeface.com
FB: www.facebook.com/plovdivtypeface
Instagram: www.instagram.com
A team from the graphic design studios PUNKT and Typedepot will then collect and analyse the texts. On 1 November, the National Enlighteners Day, the typeface will be donated for free use and download. The project's progress can be followed on Instagram at @plovdiv.typeface.
