Palace of Typographic MasonryPALACE about
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Room: The Asemic Cabinet

Undeciphered Type Ball

Edgar Walthert, Undeciphered Type Ball, Typeface design, 2022.

Rumour has it that a special typewriter can be found here in the palace that imprints odd characters. Main lead for this gossip are the technical drawings of the type designer Edgar Walthert for a spherical typing element. These elements, also known as type balls, were used for the iconic IBM Selectric typewriter that made its breakthrough during the 1960s. Instead of pushing up a lever that left a typographic impression, the Selectric typewriter used a spherical element that turns, tils, and prints: transforming a mechanical component into a typographical artefact.