Laurenz Brunner and Ben Schwartz Present Dictionary of the Illegible

Dictionary of the Illegible explores the limits of human language, its beginnings and its ends, where alphabet and expression first take shape and begin to dissolve before our eyes. Mapping over 400 examples of illegibility drawn from diverse fields, from Indigenous cultures to imagined future civilizations, the book spans contemporary art, science fiction, politics, architecture, and technology.

Laurenz Brunner is a creative director and designer who runs a studio specializing in editorial and communication design, visual identities, and type design. Currently situated in a converted auto garage in Zurich, after earlier bases in Amsterdam and Berlin, his work explores equilibriums between high and pop culture, concept and improvisation, art history and science fiction. His collaborations span clients such as Schauspielhaus Zürich, documenta 14, Hamburger Bahnhof, and Studio Barnhus, as well as publishers and cultural organizations internationally.
In 2022, Brunner launched Source Type, a platform for typographic research and visual literacy. Through it, he has published typefaces like Bernie, UN-11, Rapid, and Karl. He is also a member of the Swiss type foundry Lineto, where he released Akkurat (2004), Circular (2014), and Bradford (2018).
Brunner previously taught graphic design at the Rietveld Academie and has served as a guest critic at Yale School of Art (US), Werkplaats Typografie (NL), and ECAL (CH). He has twice received the Swiss Federal Design Award (2006, 2012), along with distinctions from The Most Beautiful Swiss Books, The Best Dutch Book Designs, and The Best Books from all over the World.

Ben Schwartz is a graphic designer, researcher, and writer from Ohio. After working in the music industry, Schwartz attended design school at ArtCenter College of Design in Los Angeles, CA. In 2018 he was awarded the Walker Art Center design fellowship working on various exhibition ephemera, catalogs, and published articles frequently on The Gradient. In 2020 Schwartz participated in the Jan van Eyck Residency where he investigated the act of bootlegging through an interview series and text, to be published forthcoming. He has also worked freelance for various studios including Folder Studio, Studio Lin, ETC., and Benjamin Critton Art Dept. Currently he works as the managing editor for Source Type.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Artbook @ Hauser & Wirth LA Bookstore