ISTD 2024 — Brief 3: Linguistic Hybridity
This project explores linguistic blending through code-switching, language variation, and cultural hybridity. Drawing on personal family history alongside research into linguistics and cognitive neuroscience, *Linguistic Horizon* investigates how multilingual people move fluidly between languages and cultures in everyday life.
Mapping the Multilingual Mind
I wanted to visualise the non-linear way multilingual speakers navigate language. Rather than treating languages as separate systems, the project explores how they overlap, influence one another, and coexist within a single person's experience.
The publication is structured as a journey through different stages of language acquisition, gradually expanding across a spectrum of linguistic proficiency:
A Tactile & Typographic Horizon
The concept of a **horizon**—an evolving boundary of perception—became the foundation for the publication's physical structure.
As readers progress through the book, each shift in language proficiency is marked by a different coloured paper stock, creating a tactile hierarchy and making transitions between sections immediately recognisable.
Typographic Friction
o unify these linguistic shifts, I developed a type system pairing **Warnock Pro** with **Satoshi**. Rather than homogenising the visual identities of the Latin, Greek, and Turkish scripts, the design embraces their differences. Characters are enlarged to display scale, allowing the distinct forms, textures, and rhythms of each writing system to become an active part of the narrative.
Flexibility Within a System
Built on a strict modular grid, the publication balances structure with adaptability. The system accommodates expressive typographic spreads, survey data, and interview transcripts while maintaining a cohesive visual language throughout.
A selection of spreads from the publication, showcasing the use of colour, typography, and layout to reflect the multilingual experience.
Experience the publication in a digital format, allowing for a seamless flip-through of the content.