Reinterpretation
of socialist grotesque typefaces

The Komu typefaces are based on bold, socialist modernist grotesques. Typography during this era served as a tool of propaganda. Slogans and propaganda texts were often written in all caps to convey authority. These slogans frequently appeared on banners with wide tracking.

The Komu New type family is a loose continuation of the noticeboard typefaces Komu A and Komu B. They share the same proportions and draw inspiration from various sources of grotesque type designs from that period. These type styles appeared everywhere – on posters, in shop windows, magazines, and banners. They also took various technological forms — plotter prints, screen printing, or hand-painted by sign painter on banners or metal plates in factories.

I combined these four typefaces into a single family because they are visually similar, yet differ in many subtle ways. They vary in middle strokes position, shape rounding, character widths, and proportions. I merged selected details from multiple sources into each typeface to ensure they work well together and complement one another. Each font also features its own distinctive diacritics.