Univers Revolved: A Three-Dimensional Alphabet

by Ji Lee

What if we had a 21st-century alphabet to go with our 21st-century brains? Designer and art director Ji Lee updates our ancient letterforms with a three-dimensional alphabet that he calls Univers Revolved, using a 3-D computer modeling program to create letters and manipulate them in space. As in any reading primer, he begins with simple words and moves on to sentences and then stories and poems, all arrayed in dizzying arrangements that are challenging and fun to decipher. These sleek word puzzles reawaken in us a childlike sense of discovery that the strange shapes of the alphabet form meaningful messages. Whether viewed as a collection of newly invented puzzles (with an insert providing solutions), a feast of dazzlingly beautiful designs, or an invitation to rethink the way we experience reading in our everyday lives, Univers Revolved is an entirely new concept in book publishing.

Genres: Art

64 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Born in Seoul, Korea, and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, Ji Lee studied design at Parsons School of Design. He currently works as the Creative Director at Google Creative Lab in New York and teaches design at School of Visual Arts. In the past, Lee has worked as the branding director at Droga5 and art director at Saatchi & Saatchi. Ji Lee is the founder of the widely publicized Bubble Project and the author of two books: Talk Back: The Bubble Project and Univers Revolved: a 3-Dimensional Alphabet. Lee has given numerous lectures, including Harvard University, MIT and MoMA. Lee’s work has appeared in ABC World News, The New York Times, Newsweek, The Guardian, WIRED among others.

Reviews

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Takes some time to figure it out. Not a book for learning the alphabet letters!