LINGO
senior thesis
may 1, 2019
The goal of my senior thesis project, Lingo, was to let people experience a fun and interactive way of learning a new language. I wanted to encourage people to try learning in different ways other than the traditional classroom setting. This project includes a new typeface, a wall mural, logo animation, stickers, and hand-made pocket dictionaries/zines for 6 different languages (Spanish, Mandarin, French, Japanese, German, and Korean).
I spent the entire senior show translating submitted phrases into different languages and writing them on the wall. The names written next to the individual phrases encouraged people to go and ask that person to translate that phrase to them. People were then able to discuss and learn from one another as they tried to read the phrases in different languages. Several phrases were quite funny and many people had a good laugh together after they learned the translation. The phrases written on the black wall allowed viewers to really focus and see the different/similar forms of the letters and characters compared to their own language.
"Self-assurance, motivation, and a good method play a much more important role in language learning than the vague concept of innate ability, and that dealing with languages is not only an effective and joyful means of developing human relationships but also of preserving one’s mental capacity and spiritual balance."
Kato Lomb
“He who knows other languages feels even closer to his own”
Kato Lomb
The goal was to create something that would put more emphasis on the fun benefits of knowing another language for the senior show. I was inspired by the nightlife and the neon signs that you would see in any major city around the world. The neon-sign-look would contribute to the design and typography and bring more focus to the different languages and forms of the letters and characters.
When first experimenting with the neon sign look, I made gifs that flicker on and off between the common curse words of a language and the translation in English. I thought it would be more humorous and impactful to see the curse words switching between an unfamiliar language and one's native language. Languages used were: Afrikaans, Chinese, Greek, Japanese, Spanish, and Yiddish.
