A new national font of Ukraine, ZAKON, has been publicly unveiled in Kyiv. According to the Ministry of Culture on October 29, the typeface was developed by Ukrainian designers based on the historical heritage of domestic lettering art and will be gradually introduced into official document management. The presentation took place at a forum dedicated to the Day of Ukrainian Writing and Language under the motto "Ukrainian is the language of the free." According to the authors, ZAKON is designed to assert Ukrainian identity in the state's visual space and eventually push out Russian-origin typefaces from official papers.
What is the ZAKON font
ZAKON is described as a classic Ukrainian antiqua — a serif typeface focused on business and official style. The Ministry of Culture clarifies that it will be used for working with state documents: orders, letters, reports, forms, printed publications, and print production, as well as for certificates, letters of appreciation, diplomas, badges, and plaques. Thus, the font is conceived not as a narrow design experiment, but as a unified visual standard for government institutions.
Origins of the initiative
The project was initiated by Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk, with the Work.ua platform acting as the project's patron. According to sources, the implementation of the initiative is carried out in pursuance of the Verkhovna Rada resolution of January 2026 No. 4764-IX "On strengthening the role of the Ukrainian language in the establishment of the Ukrainian State." The Ministry of Culture emphasizes that the demand for changing fonts has been forming for a long time: in recent years, the issue of replacing Russian-origin typefaces has been repeatedly raised by designers, the military, and concerned citizens, while separate Ukrainian developments, specifically the e-Ukraine and UAF Sans fonts for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, had already appeared earlier.
Replacing Russian-origin typefaces
A key argument in favor of ZAKON is that official documents have hitherto widely used the Izhitsa and Petersburg fonts, as well as typefaces cyrillized by the ParaType studio. The Ministry of Culture refers to this studio as Russian and points to its active cooperation with the Russian authorities and intelligence services. Against this background, ZAKON is positioned as an element of defense against Russian influence and as a "visual language of the state" reflecting Ukrainian traditions. Implementation is reported to take place gradually and without additional expenditures from the state budget.
Who stood behind the development
It is stated that ZAKON was created on the basis of the font heritage of Ukrainian masters — Georgy Narbut, Vasily Krichevsky, Robert Lisovsky, Vasily Khomenko, Yakov Hnizdovsky, and Vasily Chebanik. The project was led by Junior Sergeant Taras Ishchyk, known as the author of the graphic style of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This combination — historical heritage plus a modern state visual code — is intended, according to the authors, to give the font a recognizable national character.
How the implementation will proceed
At the current stage, the font is in test mode, and its implementation into state structures will proceed in stages. At the same time, the ZAKON Text version is already available for free use, allowing designers and organizations to get acquainted with the typeface and prepare materials prior to the full transition. For the state, this means not a one-time replacement, but long-term work to bring forms, printed products, and visual standards to a single national standard.
