Petria

Petria is a typeface inspired by old Art Nouveau signs and the overall art movement present in the Balkans during the early 20th century. Its styles were born out of the idea of designing a type family that would be used for inner city signage and way-finding for the city of Belgrade, Serbia. The multi-script aspect of the project was the main focus.

Latin and Cyrillic were the main focus, but that evolved into successfully depicting its character and rich history. Jovana wanted to treat this typeface as if she were trying to describe a person through letterforms. Capturing in essence the character of Belgrade and and all the feelings associated with it. Petria had a clear idea, both when it comes to its aim and application. With Jovana’s graphic design background, she was used to creating things for a strict purpose, so drawing a typeface that she could treat in a similar way seemed like a promising opportunity to learn what would be essential for a project like this. It became a process of understanding how to channel the energy Jovana wanted its shapes to carry, while still serving its initial purpose.

Jovana Jocić

Jovana Jocić is a type and graphic designer from Belgrade, Serbia. After obtaining a BA and MA in Graphic Design at the University of Applied Arts in Belgrade. Jovana moved to the Netherlands, where she dedicated a year to drawing and learning about type. 
Passionate about type, louder than life, and fascinated with designing Cyrillic and Latin typefaces, Jovana likes to spend her free time sketching and working on lettering pieces. When not in front of the screen, Jovana enjoys the outdoors and is a competitive, passionate skier.