26 Letters

This was a collaboration between 26 and the International Society of Typgraphic Designers, which resulted in a series of 26 posters and a book. Writers and designers were randomly paired and allocated a letter of the alphabet. I was lucky with both. Derek Birdsall and i. After a couple of long lunches, we hatched our plan - a first-person short story told by the egomaniacal 'Omar Sharif of the alphabet', set as a shadow cast by the letterform. As a finishing touch it was beautifully printed on a reflective, mirror-like surface, so that viewers could see their faces as they read the text. Our poster became part of an ambitious British Library exhibition which ran during the latter part of 2004. You can read more about i and the other posters in the accompanying book, 26 Letters: Illuminating the Alphabet.