FORTY FIVE SYMBOLS is a collaborative exploration of visual language that unites students, teachers, scholars, and ideas from across the globe. Inspired the cryptic yet powerful character of Disc of Phaistos—a milestone in the history of visual language and typography—students develop collections of 45 unique symbols to represent the essence of their identity, or the spirit of a culture that is relevant to them. Their mission is not to create additions to the endless repertoire of functional pictograms. Instead, they are driven by personal storytelling and creating ethnographic visual anecdotes that are subjective, stimulating and inviting. The project was initiates through simultaneous typography classes in Beirut, Bogotá, Cologne, Falmouth, Hong Kong and New York. It has become a transdisciplinary global platform that invites for participation through open calls for entries on a regular basis.
Olivier Arcioli
Book Designer / Editorial Designer / Founder (Cologne)
