This is what modern logos would look like if they were from the USSR

This makes me feel warmly about the Cold War

by Andrew J. Hawkins

Aug 23, 2016, 5:24 PM UTC

Andrew J. Hawkins is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State.

A Russian graphic designer named Mike Levchenko is doing his part to mend the icy relationship between his country and the West — or at least Western capitalism — by reimagining a half-dozen global brands as if they were from the Soviet Union.

Levchenko took the logos of McDonald’s, Nikon, Samsung, Dior, Apple, Chanel, and Mercedes-Benz, and gave them a Cyrillic spin. Apple’s is boxy, but with an unmistakable leaf growing from the first letter. Dior’s is cursive and feminine. Mercedes gets a couple spear points to suggest speed. Levchenko also paired each logo with an advertisement, most of which appear modeled on Soviet era ads from the 1950s and ‘60s.

First designed by monks in Bulgaria in the ninth century (shout-out to The Verge’s resident Bulgarian, Vlad Savov), the Cyrillic alphabet is now one of the most-used writing systems in the world. As of 2011, it was the official alphabet for over 252 million people in Europe and Asia.