Dagur Eggertsson

Icelandic is a language that has remarkably little changed since the time of the ancient Vikings and to this day uses special letters that are barely found in other languages In the ever-changing world of technological progress, the constant work is to maintain Icelandic special letters in language and written language.  

A collection of Icelandic special letters is a book work that deals with a period in the 1960s in Icelandic print history where there was little or no access to special Icelandic letters. Therefore, printers and illustrators had to look for ways to get these letters into print. This period, which has been taught the Wild West font design is actually a period of some of the greatest growth in Icelandic font design.  

When rules and standards are taken away from us, new opportunities are often created for reflection and fresh creativity.  

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Icelandic is a language that has changed remarkably little since the time of the Vikings and still, to this day, uses special characters that are found in few other languages. In an ever-changing world of technical employment, there is ongoing work to preserve the Icelandic special characters in both spoken and written language.  

Archiving Icelandic Special Characters  is a book about a period in the 1960s in Icelandic printing history, when there was little to no access to these letterforms. As a result, printers and designers were forced to be creative to include these characters into print. This era, sometimes referred to as the Wild West of type design, was in fact a time of fascinating development in Icelandic typography.  

When rules and standards are stripped away, new opportunities often are for fresh thinking and creative renewal.   

Photos by: Sisters Lumiere