Lyubov' Kuznetsova

Senior Designer member of Russian type design community

Lyubov' Kuznetsova, the senior member of the Russian type design community, passed away in Moscow on February 22 2008, after a long struggle with illness.

Lyubov' Kuznetsova was a type, graphic and book designer, and a gifted calligrapher. Born in Tula in 1928, she worked for a number of Russian publishers. In 1951, after her graduation from Moscow Printing Institute, she joined the type design team of VNII Polygraphmash. She worked there for forty years—as a designer, head of the design department, and chief of the oriental type design unit. Since 1992 she was a staff designer at ParaType, Moscow.

For many years Kuznetsova specialised in Arabic type design; she also designed many Cyrillic, and Latin typefaces. Some of her Arabic designs, in Naskh, Kufi, Nastaliq and other styles, were developed in co-operation with the Egyptian, Iranian, and Lebanese calligraphers. Many members of ATypI remember her talk at the Lyons conference of 1998 ('Arabic type design in Russia').

A recipient of many design awards and distinctions‹one of them was a citation for design excellence for PT Kufi, at the first TDC2 (Type Directors Club Type Design Competition) of 1998—Mrs. Kuznetsova established herself as an indisputable authority in type design. She was among the judges of the ATypI international type design competition of 2001, bukva:raz!

The passing of Lyubov' Kuznetsova has left a void that will be impossible to fill. Our condolences go out to her grieving family, friends and all who knew, and admired, and loved her.

from Maxim Zhukov