Zvezdarska Šuma. A new visual identity for a park in Serbia

Zvezdara Forest Park (Serbian: Zvezdarska Šuma) is one of Belgrade’s largest forest parks and a popular leisure destination for locals. The park takes its name from the observatory built on the hilltop in 1929–1932, which was originally called the “Star Observatory” (literally, the “House of Stars”). A forest was planted around the observatory, which today covers 137 hectares, 21 of which have been transformed into a public park.

Problem

The forest park is a beautiful and popular leisure destination for locals, but it lacked a proper wayfinding system. A group of urban planners proposed improving the park’s infrastructure by installing clear signage and information boards about the local flora and fauna — in other words, creating a cohesive visual identity for the park. We needed to develop: 1) A wayfinding system to help visitors navigate the park; 2) A visual identity that reflects the park’s character as a natural space; 3) A unique Cyrillic typeface as the foundation of the identity.

Solution

The visual concept is built around the idea of “soft branding” — an identity that preserves the park’s natural atmosphere and harmony without disrupting its character, but rather complementing it. Typography became the key element of the system. The custom Zvezdara Sans reinterprets the traditions of Serbian Cyrillic, bringing together cultural heritage and a contemporary visual language. When developing the typeface, we focused on a minimal yet functional set of characters. It is designed for headlines, sets the visual tone of the project, and can also be used for illustrative purposes. For informational text, we selected Orto as a complementary typeface, ensuring high readability in an urban environment. The color palette and pictogram system draw inspiration from Serbian cultural heritage, natural forms, and traditional ornaments, bringing all elements of the identity together into a cohesive system.

Results

The project not only helps visitors navigate the park but also contributes to the development of contemporary Serbian Cyrillic. The custom typeface is available under a non-commercial license and can already be used in new cultural and public projects