Natalia Martelus

Third Overcoat is a type generator built on the idea of contrasts. The combination of static and dynamic objects of different shapes and sizes allows users to create unusual letterforms that are meant to be printed. The following images showcase the generator in practice; a test stage, which resulted in a letterpress printed type specimen made of letters each generated by a different person, as well as a final type specimen printed on different materials showing the capacity of the programme.

The Library of Babel is a short story by Jorge Louis Borges that depicts the concept of a universe in the form of a vast library containing all possible 410-page books of a certain format and character set. The project is a re-design of the short story in four different configurations following a set of six rules. The generative process is executed by carrying out an analogue process of typesetting and letterpress printing.

The Library is made out of hexagonal shapes, of which two walls are entrances and the other four are filled with bookshelves. Numbers III, IV, V and VI were chosen to determine the content, layout and type size of the prints. Six rules are applied to the text, using each of the four previously mentioned numbers as a base.