site.btaBTA Presents LIK Typeface to St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia on Patron Saint's Day

The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) provided its LIK typeface to the St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia on November 25, following an academic ceremony marking the University's patron saint's day. BTA Director General Kiril Valchev and Sofia University Rector Prof. Georgi Valchev signed an agreement on the use of the LIK typeface.

Kiril Valchev said that on a very symbolic day, the feast of Sofia University's patron saint, BTA made the LIK typeface available to the University under a formal agreement.

"I am pleased that a representative of the National Academy of Art is with us - Assoc. Prof. Svetlin Balezrdov worked on the typeface alongside Prof. Kristina Borisova, Jacklina Jekova and Nikolay Petroussenko. The grand idea was to create a typeface based on the letters originally developed by the students of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius, the most illustrious of them being Sofia University's patron, St Clement (Kliment) of Ohrid," said BTA's Director General.

The LIK typeface is named after BTA's iconic LIK magazine for literature, art and culture, first published in 1965 and relaunched in 2022 as a monthly publication. The typeface was registered with the Patent Office and was launched on February 16, 2025, when BTA celebrated 127 years since the publication of its first bulletin. BTA is making the typeface freely available to all public institutions in Bulgaria, in the name of creating a unified identity, which is already a fact at the news agency. 

So far, BTA has provided the LIK typeface to the Ministry of Culture, the Sts Cyril and Methodius National Library, the Diplomatic Institute and the State Institute for Culture under the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the National Institute of Justice and the University of National and World Economy, said Kiril Valchev, adding that he is pleased that Sofia University is joining the group of these prestigious institutions.

He noted that BTA and Sofia University have a long-standing partnership, which has developed significantly over the past four years following the signing of a dedicated cooperation agreement. "In the five years up to and including 2020, BTA had 634 reports on Sofia University, whereas after the agreement was signed in 2021, we have had 3,929 reports - and five years have not yet fully elapsed. This is a six- to seven-fold increase in just four or five years," said BTA Director General Kiril Valchev.

Sofia University Rector Georgi Valchev, Professor of Philosophy, said: "I am really grateful for the cooperation with BTA. Thanks to the dedicated work of BTA's team, the activities of Sofia University have become far more visible and widely publicized. It has become clear that, alongside research and teaching, many important public events take place at the university, allowing it to define its significant role in the country's development. Symbolically, in the year marking BTA's 127th anniversary and Sofia University's 137th, this partnership has been renewed and expanded. I hope that in the coming years we can set an even more positive tone for Bulgaria's development, as many good things are happening that deserve attention."

A large part of this work, which is important for society, is carried out by BTA, which has opened access to its news and reports and acquired a fully modern, international appearance, fitting seamlessly among the leading global news agencies, said Prof. Georgi Valchev. "I hope that our graduates will continue to join BTA, because, like any modern institution, it needs young, inspired people to carry on its good traditions and further develop them."

"If I may sum up, BTA's LIK typeface finds its rightful place at the university named after St Clement of Ohrid," said Kiril Valchev. He paraphrased a sentence from the saint's Panegyric on St Archangel Michael: "When each person stands in their own rank and in their appointed place, they will enjoy unspeakable light and divine beauty. Admitting no pride and no malice within themselves, all should have a single aspiration and a single desire - to fulfil with goodness the place where each is destined to stand."

Today, this typeface returns to the home of the first Bulgarian bishop to preach in the Bulgarian language, said Sofia University Rector Georgi Valchev.

BTA launched its LIK typeface on February 16, 2025, the day marking the 127th anniversary of the release of its first bulletin. The typeface was developed by the National Academy of Art, led by Rector Prof. Georgi Yankov, and a team headed by Assoc. Prof. Svetlin Balezdrov and comprising Prof. Kristina Borisova, graphic and type designer Jacklina Jekova and Nikolay Petroussenko.