27th Letter

The 27th Letter was an exercise in form and typography. In this process we created ligatures from a classic typeface to highlight specific letterforms within a piece of Italian literature. I chose A Gentle Thought by Dante Alighieri.

There is a gentle thought that often springs to life in me, because it speaks of you. Its reasoning about love’s so sweet and true, the heart is conquered, and accepts these things. ‘Who is this’ the mind enquires of the heart, ‘who comes here to seduce our intellect? Is his power so great we must reject every other intellectual art? The heart replies ‘O, meditative mind this is love’s messenger and newly sent to bring me all Love’s words and desires. His life, and all the strength that he can find, from her sweet eyes are mercifully lent, who feels compassion for our inner fires.