Nikita Laptinov Designs Logos Honoring Ukrainian Cities

When air raid sirens become part of your morning routine, design takes on a different meaning.

Ukrainian designer Nikita Laptinov didn’t set out to create logos for cities like Kyiv, Mariupol, Kharkiv, or Irpin. But when your country’s being shelled and your soul is on fire, sometimes creativity becomes a form of survival.

With each city hit hardest by Russia’s invasion, Laptinov crafted a logo. Not for branding. Not for merch. But as a graphic tribute to the courage rising from rubble. The result is a series of hard-edged, militaristic visuals inspired by the chevrons worn by battalions. Those bold, V-shaped symbols that scream: we don’t back down.

But these weren’t just about looking tough. Behind each line and angle is a deeper story. Laptinov wasn’t only moved by the big, loud things, tanks rolling in, fighter jets above. What shook him most were the small, stubborn acts of resistance: the old man sweeping up glass from his shattered window, the teenager biking bread to shelters, the mother teaching her child math in a metro station turned bunker.

That was the heart of the project: not just strength, but spirit.

Each logo feels like a punch in the chest. Kyiv’s is proud and steady. Mariupol’s aches. Kherson’s feels cornered, but still sharp. They’re not soft, not friendly and why should they be? These are not peacetime designs. They’re badges of survival.

And sure, the idea of “designing a logo” for a city mid-war might sound odd like making a new font for a burning building. But that’s the strange genius here: Laptinov turned destruction into visual defiance. He gave form to cities that refuse to be erased.

There’s even a thread of dry humor underneath. What’s the brand tone of a bombed-out city? “Grit with a side of fury”? But Laptinov doesn’t play it safe or sentimental. These logos aren’t trying to sell anything. They’re standing their ground, just like the people they honor.

In a world where design often lives in the shallow end, chasing trends, optimizing for likes this project dives deep. It doesn’t care if it’s pretty. It cares that it’s true.

And maybe that’s the real takeaway: In times of crisis, art can fight back.

One sharp line at a time.