A developing economy needs not only a strong currency but also a symbol for it: unique and understood by everyone, at home and abroad. Such a symbol is more than a graphic sign. It is a statement of national identity, stability and a strengthening local currency.

When the Central Bank of Uzbekistan announced a competition for a national currency symbol, we prepared our entry. The task was to create a unique, memorable symbol for the som. The sign was to become an integral part of the country’s new visual identity, meet international standards and reflect the new wave of change in Uzbekistan. It also had to be practical and easy to use every day, both in the country and beyond. It was a big task, and we committed to it fully.

Creating such a sign demands both a deep analysis of the mandatory parameters and rules for currency signs and a creative approach.
So we began by studying how the signs for the hryvnia, tenge, rupee, ruble and other currencies were created, to understand how they became part of the cultural and financial life of their countries.

Each of these symbols is more than a letter or an icon: it is a metaphor hidden in the graphics. Many also share features that tell us we are looking at a currency sign. Strike-through lines, for example, are a traditional element of many currency symbols.

We also looked at today’s requirements for currency signs:
• Universality and scalability: the sign must be clear to Uzbek speakers and foreigners alike.
• Graphic simplicity: concise and easy to use in any format, from mobile apps to printed documents.
• Intuitiveness: the symbol should evoke Uzbekistan and money while staying connected to the global graphic tradition.
• Typeface independence: the sign can be integrated into different type systems without losing legibility.
• Ease of handwriting: the sign must account for the specifics of Uzbek writing and the Latin script.

This groundwork helped us define the key criteria the symbol had to meet.
We also studied diacritics in Uzbek writing, such as the tilde, to bring out the sign’s national identity. This analysis allowed us to develop concepts grounded in both aesthetics and function.

Every stage of the work, from drawing ligatures to consulting leading type designers, aimed to strike a balance between uniqueness, simplicity and versatility. In the end, we settled on a symbol that embodies Uzbekistan’s cultural and economic ambitions and becomes part of its new image.

Developing the som sign was a journey through several concepts, each with its own approach and emphasis. We examined the strengths and weaknesses of every option in detail to arrive at the best solution, one that could become a symbol of a new era for Uzbekistan.

The first two concepts were based on the letter “S,” which brought them visually close to established currency symbols. Concise as they were, they did not fully meet our ambitions. The first was overloaded with graphic elements, and the second resembled the Ukrainian hryvnia sign, which called its uniqueness into question.

The third concept took a fundamentally different approach. We set aside the letters “S” and “UZ” and focused on the letter “U,” drawing on national symbols of Uzbekistan such as the shapes of the coat of arms and the flag.

The result was a “U” crossed by two horizontal lines, a sign that balances national identity and international standards.

The “U” with its strokes stands for stability and reliability and connects to international conventions for currency signs. The symbol is highly typeface-independent: it works in any type family and stays crisp even at small sizes.

The strengths of the third concept are clear: it is simple, versatile and unique. The “U” with two strokes through it points to Uzbekistan and stands out for its economy of form, while keeping a cultural link with the nation and its ambitions.