City Ambassadors School: A Typographic Triumph

Tanya Dunaeva's Award-Winning Design Celebrates Moscow's Rich History

The City Ambassadors School is not just a design; it's a journey through Moscow's rich history. Dunaeva's inspiration stemmed from the city's vast potential for tourist interest. Moscow, with its diverse architecture and intriguing stories hidden behind every turn of its old streets, is impossible to associate with any one minimal set of recognizable symbols. This design, therefore, serves as a primer for Muscovites and tourists alike, offering them an opportunity to discover the city anew.

What sets this design apart is its unique typographic solution. Dunaeva has employed the principle of typographic eclecticism, combining the Old Russian script with the cursive script and recognizable fonts of avant-garde artist Sergei Chekhov. This eclectic mix forms a bizarre alphabet, the foundation of the entire identity system. It's a design that's flexible, scalable, and easily adaptable to various offline and online media.

The project was realized mainly through print ads, such as brochures, caps, bags, and pens. However, the design's scalability allows it to be easily adapted to different marketing means, wearables, and other print ads. The design can be fixed at any staff, making it a versatile tool for promoting Moscow's cultural heritage.

The project was accomplished during the summer of 2021 in Moscow. The background of the project is a history of Moscow reflected in the fonts. It required a chronological study of Moscow to determine key past and present fonts associated with the city and Russia. The challenge was to find Moscow's identity, especially reflected in fonts. Despite this, the project was successfully finalized, thanks to the innovative idea.

The City Ambassadors School has not gone unnoticed in the design world. In 2022, it was awarded Silver in the A' Graphics, Illustration, and Visual Communication Design Award. This prestigious accolade is given to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that illustrate outstanding expertise and innovation. Dunaeva's design, admired for its strong technical characteristics and splendid artistic skill, certainly fits the bill.

In conclusion, Tanya Dunaeva's City Ambassadors School is a testament to the power of design in capturing and communicating a city's rich cultural heritage. It's a design that not only celebrates Moscow's history but also invites others to discover it. As Dunaeva herself notes, "Interesting stories are hidden behind every turn of the old streets... the future ambassador discovers it anew, like a student discovers a primer at school."