For this project, I worked with the text of Culhwch and Olwen, a Welsh Arthurian folktale from a 13th-century manuscript titled The Mabinogion, and designed a layout for it as if it were being published as a standalone book. This includes a cover design, illustrated chapter headers, and sample page spreads that explore how structure and design can influence interpretation.
“Culhwch and Olwen: A Structured Portrayal of Arthur?” by Catherine Piquemal became central to this idea. Piquemal argues that while the tale is often criticized for being disjointed, this view stems from the way modern translations redivide the story into artificial episodes. In contrast, the original manuscript used large initial letters to mark new sections, organizing the story into meaningful groupings that reflect its narrative logic.
This is a chart taken from Piquemal’s writing depicting the slight differences in story separation between the original manuscript version and the modern academic translation.
This project is also currently a prototype, but I do intend to finish the entire layout.