Shelfish is a conceptual typographic project conceived as a tribute to the oceans and a call for environmental awareness.

On November 19, 2002, the oil tanker Prestige sank off the coast of Galicia, Spain, while carrying more than 70,000 tons of fuel oil, triggering one of the most devastating environmental disasters in modern European history. The spill had catastrophic ecological, economic and human consequences, particularly in a region whose livelihood, culture and identity are deeply tied to the sea. What had once been a coastline defined by beauty and abundance was suddenly covered in black.

Thousands of volunteers arrived from across Spain and Europe with a shared objective: to clean what seemed impossible to clean. Despite these efforts, the damage continued to unfold. The tanker, resting deep beneath the ocean, kept leaking. Oil slicks reached not only Spain’s northern coast, but also Portugal, France and beyond, threatening one of the richest marine ecosystems in the world. As oceanographer Dr. Simon Boxall described it, the Prestige became “a time bomb at the bottom of the sea, waiting to go off.”

Shelfish was developed in 2005 as part of the Graduate Communications Design Program at Pratt Institute, under the guidance of Olga De La Roza, Graham Hanson and Don Ariev. The original assignment was to design an alphabet using objects, followed by a final piece that would promote and present the resulting typeface.

As a personal decision, the project evolved beyond a formal exercise into an homage to the oceans and to nature. The alphabet was developed using shells and marine elements, transforming typography into both a visual language and a symbolic gesture. What emerged was not only a typeface, but a manifesto—a reminder of the fragility of marine ecosystems, a tribute to the people affected by the disaster, and a call for responsibility and action.

Shelfish stands as an early exploration of design as advocacy, where typography, concept and narrative converge to carry meaning beyond aesthetics. It is a reminder that design can be a voice, a memory and a warning.

We shall never forget.On November 19th 2002 the 26 year old Prestige tanker sank in front of the Spanish coast of Galicia, while carrying 70.000 tons of fuel oil, causing one of the biggest natural tragedies ever… The tragedy had terrible consequences for nature and humans, mostly in a region where the people live off their fishing efforts, and where beauty is all around. Suddenly all the coast was covered in BLACK. Thousands of volunteers come from all over with the common objective of cleaning the unclean-able… The Oil Spill threatened the region’s economic and environmental well-being, which is largely dependent on the sea for its livelihood. The waters here are home to some of the world’s richest array of fish and marine life. Now, the Prestige is so far out at sea, and so deep, that it is just easier to ignore. The sunken vessel continues to leak and the spill has reached Portugal and the southern coast of France…

It’s a time bomb at the bottom of the sea, waiting to go off. — Dr. Simon Boxall, Southampton University’s Oceanography Centre.

This project was commissioned and followed by Olga De La Roza, as a typography project for the Graduate Communications Design Program at Pratt Institute, New York, in the Spring Semester of 2005. The starting point was to develop an alphabet using objects. The final assignment was a piece that promoted and sold the typeface created.

This project, as a personal decision, turned into an homage to oceans and nature. This is dedicated to the tragedy of the Prestige Boat that sank in front of the Galician North Shore of Spain in November 2002. This is a tribute to all the people affect by the tragedy. This is a manifesto for respect to the environment. This is a shout for help and action: We shell never forget!