The Design of Words

Imagine you had a hefty 11.75 × 8.25 inch Moleskine and an unlimited budget to travel the globe, with the goal of filling its pages with beautiful writing by some of the best calligraphers on Earth. There’s no need to start booking flights though; art director and calligraphy aficionado Francesca Guerrera has done the hard work for you, compiling impressive contemporary work from 25 world class calligraphers in this new title. The original art comes from 40 sketchbooks which were submitted to The Design of Words exhibition in Milan, Italy, in 2016. The incredible lettering comes from 15 far-flung countries including France, India, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Turkey, the US, and more. It often appears here as if scanned directly from the original Moleskine sketchbook pages, with the addition of the calligrapher’s name, location, and particular style. This 144-page hardcover boasts a foreword by Paul Antonio, and also includes some signature Moleskine touches like an elastic strap around the cover, rounded corners, and a woven bookmark. It comes in a nice card stock case/cover too. Available from Princeton Architectural Press.