Vyaz is one of the traditional writing styles in Cyrillic that aims to fully occupy the given space and fill the inter-letter space as efficiently as possible. First appearing in the headlines of manuscripts and epigraphic monuments in the 13th century, it has continued to exist to some extent up to the present day, reaching several milestones along the way: separation from its Greek ‘ancestor’, finding its own voice, flourishing, and finally ossifying. During the era of printing, technical constraints prevented this style from being transferred precisely from handwriting to metal typesetting. However, the digital era provides many more possibilities and a wide range of technical solutions for conveying its original essence.

Working with a vast corpus required the classification of the writing samples according to chronology, complexity level and writing style. Deconstructing Vyaz from a typographic perspective revealed fundamental principles such as the use of numerous allographs, ligatures and decorative elements incorporated into letterforms.

Reflecting on the researched materials led to an attempt to practically transfer the discovered stylistic features. This was achieved by creating a system of alternates in the contemporary typeface Tightle, which now incorporates both Cyrillic and Latin scripts.