mel edwards transforms accidentally wes anderson buildings into pastel paper alphabet

manchester-based designer mel edwards has created a paper alphabet that draws from the pastel-colored buildings captured in accidentally wes anderson. made by hand from paper, the letters in the alphabet feature intricate architectural elements in colorful compositions that are reminiscent of wes anderson’s captivating film sets. below, the letter ‘C’ is created as one of the more detailed characters, based on the colorful architecture of banares, india.

all images courtesy of mel edwards

mel edwards started developing the alphabet influenced by the pastel colors and hyper-stylized symmetry seen in the architecture of accidentally wes anderson, but as the project evolved, the designer started to reference vivid-colored architecture in general. at first glance, the elements seem to be digital representations, but they actually took shape by hand and formed entirely using paper. ‘letter ‘H’ is based on wes anderson’s grand budapest hotel,’ notes the designer in one of her instagram posts.

today, april 14, 2021, marks the tenth day of the project with the letter ‘J’, for which edwards has used a ping pong ball and a little cone of paper to achieve the round bit at the top of the character. ‘I have been inspired by everything from extremely simplistic and modern architecture to very ornate and traditional buildings,’ adds the designer. furthermore, ‘B’ takes form as the most simplistic of all the letters, while through the letter ‘E’ one can feel the beach vibes. following the alphabet, ‘F’ utilized lots of corrugated kids craft cards, while the character ‘G’ based on a building in cienfuegos, cuba. 

the alphabet is presented as part of the 36 days of type challenge. the project invites designers, illustrators, and artists to express their unique vision for the letters and numbers of the latin alphabet.

project info:

designer: mel edwards

project: 36 days of type