FROM OST-1337 TO GOST 3489: SOVIET TYPE STANDARDIZATION AND THE FORMATION OF MODERN TYPOGRAPHIC INFRASTRUCTURE

• DOI: 10.37572/EdArt_28092627713

• Palavras-chave: OST-1337; GOST 3489; infraestrutura tipográfica; história da tipografia; design de tipos; União Soviética.

• Keywords: OST-1337; GOST 3489; Soviet type standardization; typographic history; visual infrastructure; design history

• Abstract:

  This study examines OST-1337, a standard promulgated in the Soviet Union in 1930, from the perspective of modern typographic history and visual standardization. Rather than viewing OST-1337 as a mere technical regulation, the article interprets it as a system through which type was institutionalized within mass printing, public reading environments, and the state's visual order. It first analyzes the historical background of OST-1337 and its criteria for typeface selection, demonstrating how the standard regulated typefounding and manual composition in Soviet printing. It then considers how GOST 3489 expanded this framework by classifying typefaces according to formal characteristics, functional use, indexing system, compositional application, method of composition, and technical conditions. By tracing the transition from metal type and letterpress to machine typesetting, phototypesetting, electronic typesetting, and digital fonts, the study argues that type standardization was continually reconfigured as media environments evolved. Ultimately, the article presents OST-1337 and GOST 3489 as significant historical design cases that shaped the visual order, information organization, and public communication infrastructure of modern typography.