Comedian and writer Viv Groskop has condemned the widespread use of faux Cyrillic in design, describing it as a persistent annoyance for the estimated 250 million people who read the Cyrillic alphabet. In an opinion piece, she argues that while the style may appear cleverly exotic to some, it often results in nonsensical text that undermines its intended effect.
Groskop highlights examples such as the common rendering of 'STALIN' as 'STДLIN', which in Cyrillic actually reads as 'STDLIN'. She also points to the opening credits of the film Red Heat, where Arnold Schwarzenegger's name was presented in pseudo-Cyrillic, and to posters for The Death of Stalin, Chernobyl Diaries and Borat. The title character of Borat appears as 'ВОRДT', which she notes is read as 'Voyadt' in Cyrillic.
The phenomenon is so prevalent that it has its own Wikipedia page, described as a 'mimicry typeface'. The page itself uses the example 'Fдцx Cчrillic', which would be pronounced 'Fdtsx Schrillic' by Cyrillic readers, a detail Groskop calls a 'brain-bleed'.
Groskop draws a parallel with heavy metal bands' gratuitous use of umlauts, such as Blue Öyster Cult, Mötley Crüe and Motörhead. She quotes Motörhead's Lemmy, who said he added the umlaut 'to look mean'. In both cases, she suggests, the altered lettering is intended to signal otherness, but ultimately comes across as merely silly.
