“Soviet Space” is a type specimen book for the Univers and Univers Next typefaces. The original iteration of Univers was created and published by Adrian Frutiger in 1957. That same year, the Soviet Union launched the first successful space probe, Sputnik 1. Due to the connection, Sputnik 1 and 1950s and ’60s Soviet space propaganda serve as the inspiration for the book. For style and color pallet inspiration, aspects of an art and architecture form that originated in the early 20th Century, Russian Constructivism, are utilized.

 

The book itself introduces the reader to the life and work of Adrian Frutiger, details the various pieces that make up the Univers typeface, and displays how these pieces work together to form the functionality of the type, all while telling the story of the momentous launch and journey of   Sputnik 1.