He designed Ukraine's look - Why Heorhii Narbut still matters today
The life and talent of Heorhii Narbut, the man who “drew Ukraine” (collage: RBC-Ukraine)
Heorhii Narbut was a Ukrainian artist who laid the visual foundations of statehood more than a hundred years ago. It was he who designed the first Ukrainian currency, the emblem of the Ukrainian People's Republic (UNR), and created a style that is still recognizable in Ukrainian design today. Why is Narbut called "the man who drew Ukraine," and how does his legacy live on in the modern hryvnia?
He created Ukraine in fonts, emblems, and banknotes
At the beginning of the 20th century, when the Ukrainian People's Republic was fighting for independence, Heorhii Narbut took on a task that would today be called the branding of a country.
His work is not just illustration or graphics. He gave visual form to the Ukrainian state. He created the UNR's coat of arms, postage stamps, banknotes, designs for government documents, and even a typeface.
Designer of Ukrainian hryvnia
In 1917-1918, Narbut designed the first Ukrainian banknotes. His 100 karbovanets note is one of the most famous bills in Ukraine's history. It combines baroque opulence, national ornaments, and deep symbolism. His style is easily recognizable: richly ornamented graphics, harmony between text and image, and the strength of line.
The modern hryvnia echoes much of his aesthetic, and not by chance. Artists of independent Ukraine used Narbut's archives when designing the new banknotes of the 1990s.
Design of Ukrainian banknotes (photo: Wikipedia)
Typeface and style of Ukrainian identity
Narbut also created a unique Ukrainian font that combined Latin, Cyrillic, and folk stylistics. His alphabets are preserved in museums, and the typefaces are still used in modern projects.
His works are not only design, but also a manifesto of Ukrainian culture. Narbut shaped a new aesthetic in which Ukrainian tradition stood side by side with European modern graphic art.
The story of an artist who didn't get to do more
Heorhii Narbut died in 1920 at the age of just 35. But even in his short life, he managed to create the foundation for everything we now call the visual image of Ukraine.
During his life, he was not only the author of the first Ukrainian banknotes and postage stamps, but also the founder of the Ukrainian Academy of Arts. He also created sketches of military uniforms for the Ukrainian army, packaging and label designs for Ukrainian products, and playing cards.
Design by Heorhii Narbut (photo: Wikipedia)
On July 18, 1918, Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi approved the small State Seal created by Narbut.
His influence can still be felt in the new identities of state institutions, in the logos of modern brands, and in the design of the hryvnia, which has become a symbol of a reborn nation.
Sources: Ukrainian Book Institute, Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine, Wikipedia, and Institute of National Memory.
