Ulysses,
a Novel
a typeface
Century Odyssey,
a Typeface
ULYSSES, A NOVEL;
CENTURY ODYSSEY, A TYPEFACE (2021)
Century Odyssey is a body typeface designed for James Joyce’s Ulysses. Drawn on the basis of Century Old Style, Century Odyssey is an experimental typeface, with a library of contextual glyphs that weave through and subtly puncture the text; the typeface becoming a narrative in itself. It works by setting the typefaces’ alternates and ligatures to linguistic, rather than graphic contexts, which then reveal themselves in specific phrases and words.
The typeface is showcased as a new edition of Ulysses. The edition features an introduction to the typeface attached to the front cover, becoming part exhaustive type specimen, part new edition of Ulysses.
492 pages | 200mm x 250mm x 30mm | softcover, perfect bound (à la 1922 edition) | part of ‘The Library of Babble’
[cont.] ︎
Visually, the typeface weaves in varying shades, depths, and textures, taking reference from the novel’s kaleidoscope of themes, styles, references, tones, and cultures.
The typeface combines lettering from classical and popular spheres, as well as subtly/majorly distorted common letterforms and type conventions. Century Odyssey, like the novel itself, plays with the role of style in language and subsequently, in our understanding of the world.
[cont.] ︎
II. THE SEA:
One half of the glyphs, which centers around the word/sound/letter combination ‘sea’, draws from the intertextuality between Ulysses and The Odyssey; visually highlighting the word, but also highlighting it various irrelevant contexts.
In this way, these glyphs both make and unmake the relationship between the two texts, reflecting the wider critical conversation around the role of Homer’s Odyssey in reading Ulysses.
the sea
One half of the glyphs, which centers around the word/sound/letter combination ‘sea’, draws from the intertextuality between Ulysses and The Odyssey; visually highlighting the word, but also highlighting it various irrelevant contexts.
In this way, these glyphs both make and unmake the relationship between the two texts, reflecting the wider critical conversation around the role of Homer’s Odyssey in reading Ulysses.
the sea
searching for seasons see? seeing is believing
does that seem like nonsense? See? I told you so. Daisies bloomed on the Odyssey, see? Those gossy waves, in the snotgreen sea
[cont.] ︎
III. OXEN OF THE SUN
The second half takes from the famous ‘Oxen of the sun’ episode, which parodies the development of English beginning from the pagan incantations.
A second alphabet is thus woven into the typeface, one that collects major developments in type history. It is coded to reveal itself in words derived from Ulysses’ episodic titles.
Other easter egg glyphs are included as well, such as God, a comment on Ulysses as taking myth back to the material and the bodily dimension.
The second half takes from the famous ‘Oxen of the sun’ episode, which parodies the development of English beginning from the pagan incantations.
A second alphabet is thus woven into the typeface, one that collects major developments in type history. It is coded to reveal itself in words derived from Ulysses’ episodic titles.
Other easter egg glyphs are included as well, such as God, a comment on Ulysses as taking myth back to the material and the bodily dimension.
Minuet Workshop
by Stephanie Jin
by Stephanie Jin
Minuet Workshop is a graphic design, research, and bookbinding practice. A book(ish), typ0graphic playground, this practice experiments with, explores, and playfully interrogates the intersections between graphic design, language, and literature.
(mi-new-ette)
work/shop
work/shop
