A is van Os ᱚᱱᱚᱞ ᱯᱩᱛᱷᱤ by Autobahn is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award ᱨᱩᱯᱟ ᱯᱩᱨᱚᱥᱠᱟᱨ in ᱪᱷᱟᱯᱟ Competition Category.

ᱨᱩᱯᱟᱪᱷᱟᱯᱟ· 2021

A is van Os ᱚᱱᱚᱞ ᱯᱩᱛᱷᱤ

by Autobahn

Client: Autobahn

A' Design Award ᱨᱩᱯᱟ ᱯᱩᱨᱚᱥᱠᱟᱨ Winner in ᱪᱷᱟᱯᱟ Category

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The Design

About A is van Os ᱚᱱᱚᱞ ᱯᱩᱛᱷᱤ

A is van Os ᱫᱚ ᱞᱟᱛᱤᱱ ᱟᱠᱷᱚᱨ ᱨᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱥᱟᱶᱛᱟᱜ ᱵᱟᱵᱚᱛ ᱢᱤᱫᱭ ᱯᱩᱛᱷᱤ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ ᱾ ᱱᱚᱶᱟ ᱯᱩᱛᱷᱤ ᱫᱚ ᱥᱟᱶᱛᱟᱜ ᱨᱮ ᱯᱩᱱ ᱟᱹᱰᱤ ᱨᱮ ᱢᱤᱫᱠᱚ ᱟᱠᱷᱚᱨ ᱨᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱵᱟᱲᱦᱟᱹᱣ ᱩᱫᱩᱜ ᱮᱫᱟ ᱾ ᱵᱚᱫᱚᱞᱠᱚ ᱫᱚ ᱯᱚᱨᱦᱟᱛ ᱜᱟᱨ ᱟᱨ ᱡᱚᱡᱚᱞᱢᱟᱱ ᱨᱚᱝ ᱛᱮ ᱨᱮᱢᱟᱠᱟᱱᱟ, ᱚᱱᱟᱛᱮ ᱢᱤᱫ ᱢᱤᱫ ᱵᱚᱫᱚᱞ ᱫᱚ ᱟᱞᱜᱟ ᱛᱮ ᱮᱢᱡᱚᱜ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ ᱾ ᱡᱷᱚᱛᱚ ᱟᱥᱚᱞ ᱟᱠᱷᱚᱨ ᱨᱩᱯ ᱫᱚ ᱛᱤ ᱛᱮ ᱫᱷᱤᱨᱤ ᱨᱮ ᱠᱷᱚᱫᱟᱭ ᱠᱟᱛᱮ ᱯᱷᱚᱴᱚ ᱮᱫᱟᱠᱟᱱᱟ, ᱫᱷᱤᱨᱤ ᱨᱮ ᱯᱩᱭᱞᱩ ᱠᱷᱚᱫᱟᱣ ᱟᱠᱟᱱ ᱟᱠᱷᱚᱨᱠᱚ ᱨᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱦᱟᱛᱟᱣ ᱞᱮᱠᱟᱛᱮ ᱾ ᱡᱚᱨᱟᱶ ᱛᱟᱦᱮᱸᱱ ᱫᱚ ᱫᱷᱤᱨᱤ ᱨᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱪᱤᱛᱟᱹᱨ ᱫᱚᱦᱚ ᱟᱠᱟᱫᱟ ᱡᱟᱦᱟ ᱜᱤᱛᱤᱞ ᱯᱚᱨᱚᱛ ᱛᱮ ᱪᱟᱵᱟᱠᱟᱱᱟ, ᱚᱱᱟᱛᱮ ᱛᱟᱞᱠᱟ ᱫᱚ ᱡᱩᱛᱩᱜ ᱞᱮᱠᱟᱱ ᱦᱩᱭᱩᱜ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ ᱾ ᱱᱚᱶᱟ ᱯᱩᱛᱷᱤ ᱫᱚ ᱒᱔᱐ ᱜᱩᱱ ᱒᱔᱐ ᱢᱤᱞᱤᱢᱤᱴᱚᱨ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ ᱾

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award ᱨᱩᱯᱟ ᱯᱩᱨᱚᱥᱠᱟᱨ

A is van Os ᱚᱱᱚᱞ ᱯᱩᱛᱷᱤ ᱫᱚ A' Design Award ᱨᱩᱯᱟ ᱯᱩᱨᱚᱥᱠᱟᱨ ᱧᱟᱢ ᱟᱠᱟᱱᱟ, ᱱᱚᱶᱟ ᱫᱚ ᱥᱩᱱᱫᱚᱨ ᱟᱨ ᱵᱷᱟᱞᱟᱭ ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱ ᱠᱚ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ᱮᱢ ᱟᱠᱟᱱ ᱥᱚᱢᱟᱱ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ᱾ ᱱᱚᱶᱟ ᱠᱚ ᱫᱚ ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱᱟᱨ ᱠᱚ ᱨᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱵᱷᱟᱵᱱᱟ ᱟᱨ ᱵᱷᱟᱞᱟᱭ ᱠᱟᱢᱤ ᱡᱷᱟᱞᱠᱟᱣ ᱠᱚ᱾ A is van Os ᱚᱱᱚᱞ ᱯᱩᱛᱷᱤ ᱫᱚ ᱠᱚᱞᱟ, ᱣᱤᱜᱭᱟᱱ, ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱ ᱟᱨ ᱴᱮᱠᱱᱚᱞᱚᱡᱤ ᱨᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱥᱤᱢᱟ ᱵᱟᱲᱦᱟᱣ ᱟᱨ ᱫᱩᱱᱤᱭᱟ ᱵᱷᱟᱞᱟᱭ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ᱜᱚᱲᱚ ᱮᱢ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ᱾

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: A is van Os shows the development of each letter in four time periods in history. The changes are visualised in bright colours so they are easy to follow. Since the first letters were cut in stone, Autobahn hand carved all original letterforms in stone as a visual reference. The stone on the cover of the book is finished with a gravel coating so it becomes tactile. Besides the book Autobahn designed 3 typefaces which are free for download and can be used to send secret messages to friends in earlier forms of the alphabet.
Dimensions & Packaging: Width 240 mm x Depth 240 mm Height 10 mm
Tags: Autobahn, Typography, Design, Graphic, Alphabet, Writing, Dutch, History, Book, Children
Production Technology: Print: PMS 805, Reflex Blue
Paper: Arctic Volume 115gr
Hard cover: Cardboard wrapped in Wibalin Soft 300gr
Varnish: Spot-UV gravel coating on cover
Stones: Hand-cut and photographed
Design Challenge: To show this transition of the alphabet, Autobahn visualised the transformation for each letter with clear lines and color differences. Through this method, readers can easily follow the transformations, see how the letter developed and still see where it originated from. This aspect makes the book unique in its sort.
Research: Our alphabet has changed considerably over time. In short, it began 4,000 years ago with images carved into rock in the Sinai desert. This script (called Proto-Sinaitic) was adopted and modified by the neighboring Phoenicians (around 1500 BC). The Phoenicians were seafaring folk and granted the alphabet to the Greeks (around 800 BC); which made trading far easier. The Greeks slightly adapted the letter forms before handing them on to the Romans, who completed the alphabet. And it's this alphabet that we, in the Western world, still use today.
Inspiration: The initiative originated from the work ethos of Autobahn: text is image. Designer Rob Stolte was fascinated by the way his son was learning to write and would get him to copy the alphabet. A four year old's spatial insight is far from developed. They tend to write in different sizes, mirrored and upside down. It was during this process that Stolte recognised a number of alphabetical primordial forms. From there, he decided to design a series of objects explaining the history of our alphabet.
Project Duration: The project started in 2016 and was published in 2018 in Dutch. It was exhibited at the 65th Type Directors Club New York in 12 countries, received a Golden European Design Award and was nominated for a D&AD award and a Dutch Creativity award. The book is translated into French in 2020 and in English in 2021 (Q4).
Operation Flow: Text and image are insightful, worth knowing and in an appealing, hyper-hip style for kids; bright blue and almost fluorescent orange-red.
Design, drawings and text are coherent and consistent, this entire book exudes the basic principle of the often awarded Autobahn: text is image. A wonderful book for all children and others who love letters, history and design.
Team Members: Concept, design text and illustrations: Autobahn
Text: Bette Westera
Research and advice: Ben Haring
Advice and production: Drukkerij Wilco
Redaction, publishing and distribution: Uitgeverij Gottmer
Animation: Jochem Koopman
Documentary: Niels Mud
Product photography: Justina Nekrašaitė / De Monsterkamer