soviet – Design You Trust

Unearthing Urban Artifacts with Andrey Syaylev’s Architectural Explorations

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Single-type panel buildings, an iconic symbol of urban landscapes, hold a special place in the cultural fabric of many cities. These seemingly gloomy blocks of five-story buildings, with their warm yellow kitchen lights, floral curtains, and balconies brimming with life, have become more than just structures. They are artifacts, a testament to the passage of time, and have become a source of inspiration for contemporary creative practices. Continue reading »

Minimalist Aquatic Photos by Mária Švarbová

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Swimmers are a recurring theme in Slovakian photographer Mária Švarbová’s work (previously featured here and here), always captured in her distinctive, captivating style. Continue reading »

Soviet Spirit in Naive Illustrations of Angela Jerikh

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Angela Jerikh from Donetsk, Ukraine, keeps painting the Soviet past with an ordinary man in the center of events. The one who has his simple desires, wants to love and to be loved, to drink with friends and enjoy other worldly pleasures apart from building global socialism. Continue reading »

Designer Creates a Unique Table Lighting Based on Brutalist Soviet Architecture and Other Things

According to Nikita Antokhin: “What were we thinking when we created this thing? Naturally, about our common past. The Soviet project addressed itself to humanity, not to man. The country explored space (and succeeded), but never learned how to build humane housing and how to build cities for people.” Continue reading »

Sad and Happy Moments on the Photos of Boris Register

Boris register is a photographer who didn’t do staged photos, so all of his images were caught in a moment and therefore wonderful. Even those which cause the feeling of discomfort. Continue reading »

Here Are Soviet Cartoon Characters This Russian Artist Redrew In His Style

Most of us probably feel a strong wave of nostalgia when we see something we used to watch as kids. The old cartoons that we re-watched a million times. Movies that we knew by heart and recreated with our friends in our backyards. Cartoons helped shape who we were and are today. They are a place of comfort and fond childhood memories. Continue reading »

Bizarre & Creative Soviet Anti-Alcohol Posters, 1930-1988

“Little by little, and you end up with a hooligan. Tolerance of drinking is dangerous. There is but a step from drinking to crime.” 1986.

Soviet communist officials firmly believed that heavy drinking and alcohol abuse were historical products of bourgeois-capitalist institutions and as such should ultimately disappear in a ”classless” and “conflict-free” socialist society. However, the alcohol issue was never very high on the government agenda. Continue reading »

Cute Illustrations With the Soviet Mood From Anna Desnitskaya

Illustrations of Anna Desnitskaya are all about domestic traditions, mode of life of Soviet people. We’re pretty sure that many people aged 35+ will recognize themselves on these pictures. Continue reading »

Impressive Examples of Soviet Brutalism in Architecture

Brutalism – an architectural style of the XX century that separated from modernism. Architects who work in this style are soft on brutal forms and getting much concrete. Continue reading »

The Unintentionally Homoerotic Chinese-Soviet Communist Propaganda Posters, 1950-1960

“Long Live the Friendship between the Peoples and Armies of China and Soviet Union”.

In October 1949, the Chinese Communist Party led by Mao Zedong claimed victory and formed the People’s Republic of China. Socialist regimes now held power across one-fifth of the globe, ruling a combined population of almost 800 million people. Maintaining a friendly and productive relationship between Moscow and Beijing was seen as crucial for the survival and advancement of socialism. Continue reading »

“Russian Riviera”: Resort City of Yalta in Stunning Photos by Martin Parr

Gay guys on the shore of the Black Sea

Images from a British photographer Martin Parr who visited Yalta, Ukraine, in summer 1995. At that time, Ukrainian Crimea was still absolutely Soviet, people on the photos look exactly like the ones from the Soviet epoch with lots of interest in all possible western stuff. However, the transformation had already begun and the author captured that vibe. Continue reading »

Fantastic Photos Show What An Abandoned Soviet Submarine Looks Like From Inside

A passage between compartments

According to an explorers duo: “We are two. Him and Her. A man and a woman, husband and wife. We are open and adventurous. We are not athletes and far from the best photographers. We are searching, we are learning, we are developing, we travel, we look for adventures. And here they are – abandoned, decayed, derelict, lost and forgotten places, urban exploration, city suburbs… call it as you want .. but! As soon as you start exploring, you realize that there is a whole world of abandoned places. Continue reading »

Old Soviet Ships Transformed Into Yachts for Millionaires

Some modern super-yachts used to look differently and perform basically military missions. They served interests of their native country and its people. Many Soviet yachts became the property of foreign buyers in the 1990s who bought them quite cheaply. Continue reading »

Photographer Travels Across Russia and Captures Forgotten Artefacts Of The Post-Soviet Era

Photographer Lana Sator travels across Russia in search of abandoned places. Her Instagram dedicated to industrial tourism and Soviet architecture have already attracted an impressive audience. Continue reading »

From Amazing To Downright Scary, These 69 Design Decisions In Soviet Apartment Buildings In Lithuania Are Far From Boring

Anyone who’s ever visited a post-soviet country would’ve probably noticed some dull and depressing Eastern Bloc apartment buildings. Designed solely for one purpose—to put a roof over the heads of as many residents as possible, as quickly as possible—these buildings are definitely not the greatest example of charming architecture. Continue reading »

French Photographer Jason Guilbeau Outsmarted Lockdown To Find The Former USSR’s Strangest Street Relics

French photographer Jason Guilbeau has used Google Street View to virtually navigate Russia and the former USSR, searching for examples of a forgotten Soviet empire. Continue reading »

20 Soviet Health Propaganda Posters

The USSR really cared about its citizens – well at least about their health – because if they were not strong and healthy, they wouldn’t be productive members of the proletariat! Continue reading »

Mark O’Neill Captures Fantastic Images Of Ghastly Soviet Brutalist Monuments Scattered Around Post-Yugoslavian Balkan States

According to a photographer Mark O’Neill: “Following a dark journey of discovery through the former lands of Yugoslavia, Spomeniki presents a visionary series of monuments with unique shape, form, and texture. Continue reading »

The Lost Golden Age: Soviet Russia, As Seen By Photographer Vladimir Sokolaev

What’s the opposite of nostalgia? Remorse, maybe? Well, that is what Vladimir Solovev had captured; not so bright side of the Soviet era. Well-known documentary photographer in the 80-ties, Solovev was part of the famous creative group “Triva”. Continue reading »

Most Beautiful Remaining Street Mosaics From The Soviet Union

Since the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, much of the vast empire’s public art—or propaganda—has perished as well. Socialist Realism was the dominant style of the day—that is, art that bolstered the socialist message by glorifying the proletariat and celebrating civic triumphs. Continue reading »

Macedonian Artist Combined Soviet Era Posters With Popular Comic Superheroes

A Macedonian designer whose name is Zoki Cardula has conducted an art experiment and combined Soviet posters and images of popular comic books. The result is rather interesting. For example, Hulk has become an ardent opponent of alcohol while captain America is honoring the instructions of Vladimir Lenin. So let’s check out how comic book heroes would look like if they lived in the USSR. Continue reading »

That’s Why We Wanted To Build Communism – To Open Bottles After A Hard Day’s Work

The worker’s hammer and farmer’s sickle, was the traditional symbol of the Soviet Union (and the countries that claimed it in the years afterwards). Here it’s a really cool bottle opener.

Worker’s from walks of life chare the common bond of cracking open a cold one after a long day at work. And this novel opener makes short work of any pry-off cap. Continue reading »

“Sunken Time”: Soviet Russia, XX Century, 1962-1992, In Black & White Photographs By Mikhail Dashevsky

Photos of famous Russian photographer Mikhail Dashevsky – persuasive evidence of Soviet society “era of developed socialism.” Black-and-white photos, devoid of pathos and gloss, hypnotically immerse the viewer in the recent, but forgotten time. reality (casual as we would say today) – Moscow, province, village, children, elderly – the main themes of photos in the book. Continue reading »

Soviet ‘Thaw’ Of The 1960s Through The Lens Of Vladimir Lagrange

Happy workers from the staged, ideologically verified photos were replaced by reporting footage of the real life. The quasi thaw in Soviet politics led to a thaw in photography, as well. The official propaganda shots faded into the background and were replaced by vivid moments of real life. Continue reading »

How Soviet Propaganda ‘Taught’ People To Raise Children

Soviet children were taught to never lie, always help their parents and study hard, in order to then be able to effectively work for the future of the working class and socialist paradise. Continue reading »

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