Art Lebedev Studio designs Crimea logo

Russian design company Art Lebedev Studio has developed a new logotype for Crimea. The design, which exists in two versions in Russian and English, has a digitalised stencil of the word Crimea against a multicoloured background. The new logo comes in a number of colours, and was designed to “reflect the history and geography of the peninsula”, Lebedev said in a presentation.

The unveiling of the new logo was not without controversy. Crimea’s Minister for Tourism Yelena Yurchenko denied knowledge of the creation of the logo, after a letter posted on Art Lebedev Studio’s website purportedly showed Yurchenko’s signature on a letter supporting the development of a new logo.

“I’m as surprised as everyone else,” Yurchenko said. “Within an hour, we’ll deal with the situation and prepare the ministry’s official position.”

The tourism ministry later gave their approval for a new logo for Crimea in a statement. “The Ministry of Tourism in Crimea would like to thank the design studio Artery Lebedev for taking the lead on the proposal of a new tourism logo idea for Crimea,” the statement read.

Art Lebedev Studio has designed logotypes for a number of state and municipal projects, including the logos for Perm, Yekaterinburg and the Hermitage Garden. In 2013, the studio won an online vote for the best redesign of the Moscow Metro map, which included landmarks, parks, rivers and alternative transport routes.