The Typographic Universe: Letterforms Found in Nature, the Built World and Human Imagination
Steven Heller and Gail Anderson
Virtually anything can be used to make original typography: flora, fauna, foodstuffs – even men’s underwear. What’s more, once you start looking, it is impossible not to see letters everywhere, in natural, artificial and urban environments. A celebration of the world of letters, The Typographic Universe features more than 300 examples of unusual letterforms, either created from non-traditional materials or found in unexpected places. From deliberate inventions – aromatic alphabets made of spaghetti, soup or spices, or contorted typefaces styled out of human handprints – to serendipitous and often short-lived discoveries – letters formed by chemtrails in the sky, by negative spaces between trees branches and city buildings, or by cracks in plaster – to fading ‘ghost types’ painted on buildings in a pre-digital age, this typographic scavenger hunt will excite and inspire graphic designers, typographers and anyone who shares the current popular fascination with the wonderful world of typography.