Written work arranged in a way that creates a visual image
This article is about the type of artwork. For the collection of poems by Guillaume Apollinaire, see Calligrammes. For "Calligrams", the NYRB book series on China, see New York Review Books.
A calligram is a set of words arranged in such a way that it forms a thematically related image. It can be a poem, a phrase, a portion of scripture, or a single word; the visual arrangement can rely on certain use of the typeface, calligraphy or handwriting, for instance along non-parallel and curved text lines, or in shaped paragraphs. The image created by the words illustrates the text by expressing visually what it says, or something closely associated; it can also, on purpose, show something contradictory with the text or otherwise be misleading, or can contribute additional thoughts and meanings to the text.
"Biblical Cosmography", the largest calligram in the world. It was made by italian artist Gianluca Bosi, who wrote all the Bible in latin on papyrus (930x150 cm) to form the image of a dome, symbolizing the heavenly Jerusalem