Long before the invention of printing, hand painted letter boards were widespread as teaching material in schools. ABC tablets made of wood were already mentioned in an English manuscript as early as the 14th century. Later a thin, transparent horn plate was used to protect the paper glued on the board against wear and dirt. This is why up to this day letter boards are still called "horn books" in English-speaking regions, even though they are not books in the conventional sense of the word.

The short film The Alphabet 2 – dubbed a "horn book video experiment" – visualises concepts and objects referring to the letters of the alphabet. Each letter represents the meaning of the word itself, interpreted cinematically using different techniques including stop motion and cell animation. Exuberant materials and witty sounds provide plenty of surprises. Helvetica plays the lead in all the scenes, while narrow hand drawn caps provide the explanations.

The Alphabet 2 from n9ve on Vimeo.

The video was directed by Alessandro Novelli, an Italian multidisciplinary director/designer currently freelancing at n9ve, who also did the post-production and sound design. It was animated by Allesandro and frequent collaborator Andrea Gendusa. Mario Arcadu provided additional animation and did the set design, and director of photography was Giulia Arantxa Novelli. The photo series The Alphabet 2 backstage offers a glimpse at the development of the video, showing the designers at work on the various sets and letters.