Cyrillic Alphabet in Full Bloom

The Plovdiv Municipality approached us with a blooming idea: to launch the city's first flower festival this spring. With the event falling around May 24 (celebration of the Cyrillic alphabet), we agreed that the Cyrillic letters themselves should take centre stage. Thus, Floropopolis was born!

The Floropopolis' logo was a playful starting nod to our design process: petal-shaped forms building up the iconic Cyrillic “Ф” (F). From there, the visual identity bloomed. We used that same grid-like logic to generate vibrant, flexible visuals across posters, banners, and social media.

Having already charmed the city administration with projects like PlovdivTypeface and Trakiya’s Panel Alphabet, we were entrusted to craft the festival's Cyrillic-inspired visual language.

The Municipality brought in students from three local art schools to help create the floral carpets, eventually settling on Tsar Simeon’s Garden as their final location. The goal? Celebrate our alphabet and culture with colour and connect with as many people as possible on one of Bulgaria’s mostcherished holidays.

But here’s where it got fun: we turned the letters into customisable merch ranging from postcards and tote bags to t-shirts. On-site, people could personalise items with their favourite letter (or, let’s be honest, their initials). The response? Absolute frenzy. Visitors, kids and adults alike, were thrilled to take home a bit of beauty, designed by them, for them! A design concept that quite literally blossomed in the hands of its audience.

Were there pigeons? Yes. Did they eat the corn from our trial panels? Also yes. Did local cats then chase the pigeons? Naturally. Between weather unpredictability and night shifts guarding flower mosaics, the logistics were, let’s say, eventful. Still, the floral tapestries came together: petal by petal, hand in hand. 

The media buzzed: local and national TV appearances, interviews, social (re)shares. But the real reward? Thousands of euphoric visitors and a festival that’s the newest addition to Plovdiv’s cultural calendar. For us, the emotional response from the public was the biggest prize. Stories, smiles, spontaneous hugs… we saw first-hand what happens when design meets joy.