Funny A-Z of quarantine life is unexpectedly good

With the sheer amount of 'quarantine content' doing the rounds these days, it's hard to know what's worth your time. From work from home guides to the dystopian daily onslaught that is the news, you'd be forgiven for never wanting to see words like 'quarantine' and 'isolation' again. But trust us, one look at the A-Z of Quarantine is bound to raise a knowing smile (perhaps even 26 of them).

The A-Z of Quarantine is a simple yet beautifully designed website that uses the alphabet "to produce a living document of the minutiae of life under lockdown". It's a hugely relatable and humorous exploration of lockdown life, from 'Art' to 'Zoom'. "Instead of climbing the walls, you could paint them?" says the former entry, while the latter aptly describes Zoom as, "The tool you use to show your boss you’ve managed to get out of bed."

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A-Z of Quarantine

A screenshot from the A-Z of Quarantine (Image credit: Zosia Swidlicka and Barney McCann)

It helps that the website looks great. Accompanying copywriter Zosia Swidlicka's short but hilarious descriptions are a series of experimental animated letter forms using an AI-powered typeface by designer Barney McCann. These mesmerising letters are described as "the closest thing you can get to a computer’s handwriting." 

a-z

Sounds familiar (Image credit: Zosia Swidlicka and Barney McCann)

Some of our favourite examples from the alphabet include 'C' for 'Cats' ("Learn from the best: stare out of the window for a few hours, clean behind your ears, and sleep when you’re tired; ideally across a nearby human’s keyboard"), 'K' for 'Kids' ("All that quality time they’re spending with your iPad") and 'O' for 'Old flames' ("When your ex thinks now’s the perfect time to get back in touch").

Swidlicka and McCann plan to update the A-Z periodically, as our experience of the "new normal" continues to change at such a dizzying rate. You can submit your own suggestions by commenting under each letter on the A-Z of Quarantine Instagram page (above).

'Whether you’re feeling bored, anxious or alone," says Swidlicka, "we hope this dystopian dictionary provides you with a moment of connection, or at the very least, distraction." Judging by the fact that we now want to send it to everybody we know, we think they hit the spot. 

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Daniel Piper
Senior News Editor

Daniel Piper is Creative Bloq’s Senior News Editor. As the brand’s Apple authority, he covers all things Mac, iPhone, iPad and the rest. He also reports on the worlds of design, branding and tech. Daniel joined Future in 2020 (an eventful year, to say the least) after working in copywriting and digital marketing with brands including ITV, NBC, Channel 4 and more. Outside of Future, Daniel is a global poetry slam champion and has performed at festivals including Latitude, Bestival and more. He is the author of Arbitrary and Unnecessary: The Selected Works of Daniel Piper (Selected by Daniel Piper).