Manus Mortuorum

Manus Mortuorum (“Hands of the Dead”) is a limited-edition merchandise campaign developed for the Anderson University Type Foundry (AUTF). Inspired by the Latin phrase Mortui non sunt obliti (“the dead are not forgotten”), the project explores the revival of lost letterforms through skeletal illustrations and hand-drawn typography. Designed exclusively for AUTF’s launch event, the campaign introduces new members to the foundry while celebrating its achievements and looking ahead to its future.

The visual direction draws a symbolic connection between anatomical remains and the enduring legacy of type. Phrases such as Resurget Cineribus (“Rise from the Ashes”), Quod Est Mortuum, Non Potest Mori (“What is Dead Can Never Die”), and Manus Mortuorum, Vox Vivorum (“The Hands of the Dead, the Voice of the Living”) emphasize the idea that typography, though forgotten at times, is never truly lost.

Applied across shirts, jackets, stickers, and pins, the collection transforms the concept of resurrection into a physical, wearable narrative. Each item reflects the idea that typography is not just a tool of communication but a living history—one that continues to speak through those who revive and reimagine it.