site.btaBTA, National Academy of Art Sign Agreement to Create New Typeface

Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Director General Kiril Valchev and Rector of the National Academy of Art (NAA) in Sofia Prof. Georgi Yankov signed an agreement to have a new typeface created that for the time being is known as BTA. At the signing, which took place at BTA's press club in Burgas on Saturday, Valchev and Yankov said that the goal is to BTA an institution with a unified new look based on Bulgarian traditions.

According to the agreement, the font will be developed on the basis of the Cyrillic alphabetic system and will include elements from the time of its creation in the 9th century AD by the disciples of Cyril and Methodius, who the Bulgarian Orthodox Church commemorates every year on July 27.

At the signing, Valchev said: "We already have experience with different fonts. On the BTA website, for example, we use the Sofia Sans font, which was developed with the participation of specialists from the NAA for Sofia Municipality. In LIK magazine we use various fonts such as Pliska, Monserrat, Bitter, and in our correspondence, we use Times New Roman. In fact, at this point, BTA is doing what all institutions do in this country - using fonts haphazardly. We have virtually no unified visual identity. Often we also use fonts based on other countries' designs."

Valchev said that while this may seem like a minor issue amid the vast pool of other problems that the country faces, it is still a part of the Bulgarian people's self-respect. He added: "To use others' fonts, even though we gave the Cyrillic alphabet to the world, is obviously ridiculous to say the least, so I hope that our example will be used by other institutions."

The term of the contract is five months, which means the project should be completed by the end of the year. The new typeface will then be patented and can be used by other institutions.

Yankov said the NAA has the capacity to make the state "play in harmony in terms of graphic design". He also shared his joy at the fact that institutions such as BTA and the NAA are helping to represent Bulgaria's typography tradition.

The NAA Rector said: "Bulgaria is still the first country admitted to the European Union whose official alphabet is not Latin, but Cyrillic. This is an exceptional opportunity to showcase our graphic standards and label [...]"

Yankov reported that the main person involved in the development of the BTA font was Assoc. Prof. Svetlin Balezdrov, who is also currently working on the design for Latvia's euro coin.

Prof. Kristina Borisova compared BTA to world leaders of mass media such as the BBC and CNN, who also commissioned the creation of their own corporate fonts. She praised BTA for choosing to work with the NAA, the country's most prestigious institution in the visual arts, instead of a typography studio.

Borisova shared that in terms of style, the new font will be a bearer of local traditions, but it will also have the simplicity and clarity of Frutiger, the rigour of Helvetica and the harmony of Optima.

Before the official signing, the July issue of LIK magazine was presented, which is dedicated to the 55th anniversary of the Black Sea resort of Albena.