International Student Competition on Font and Calligraphy Pangram: Origins, Development, Prospects

Abstract

The article analyzes the experience of holding the Pangram International Student Competition on Font and Calligraphy in the context of the phenomenon of festivals and competitions that popularize the art of type in the cultural space of Ukraine and the world. The purpose of the article is a retrospective review of the five year existence of the competition, its statistical analysis, results and prospects. This study was carried out in the framework of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of KSADA. Its idea is related to the determination of one of the directions of the Academy’s development in the future. The field of international creative competitions is diverse and constantly evolving. The most famous professional type design competitions are Morisawa Type Design Competition, TDC Typeface Design Competition, GRANSHAN Type Design Competition, where designers present their latest developments in type design. The article dwells on the problem of the implementation of creative ideas of art university students through participation in competitions, creative actions, festivals. It was noted that the practice of announcing such competitions is an example of encouraging young people to be creative, and it is an opportunity to find talented labor potential for organizations. The author examines the features of the main type festivals held in Ukraine in different years, namely: Cyrillic Holiday, Ruthenia, Space of Letters. The state of the research of the problem is analyzed. The author emphasizes that the phenomenon of creative actions, festivals and competitions is insufficiently studied in scientific terms. Although they are widely highlighted by local and regional Internet media as significant events, which demonstrates the interest of society. Special attention is payed to the background, development and transformation of the Pangram competition. The main idea of the competition is to give the opportunity to demonstrate the font ideas of students of art higher education institutions from different countries. The competition also promotes the exchange of experience of font schools in Ukraine and other countries, popularizes the role of calligraphy, type and typography disciplines in higher education institutions. The author highlights such conditions and mechanisms of the competition as topics, nominations and categories, event format, the jury and evaluation criteria, partners, and awards. It was noted that the selected remote format proved to be successful in the global pandemic. At the present stage of the development of the art of font and calligraphy in general and in Ukraine in particular, the student competition is a progressive phenomenon of bringing teaching methods beyond the walls of higher education institutions. The present study is important for understanding the trends in modern type design and calligraphy in terms of the formation of Ukrainian identity and the design culture in general.