Symbol Development

Decided Colour Palette:

Colours derived from website searches of key the words. The colours chosen were to incorporate variety, as some searches presented the same website even if it was for a different word. Colours that were common were various hues of yellow, blue and grey, this developed a colour palette that was considered but still bright fun and playful. 

Development of Symbols:

Think about Benoit Brun, how the symbols are used to demonstrate a particular element, what do I want to communicate through the use of symbols? Fun and playful aesthetic, not too serious as none of the conversation were serious (this is translated through the colour palette, needs to be reflected in the symbols). Also think about Szucs' work, how to influence? Simple symbols to represent themes within the conversations, easy to compare etc.

• Noun - identifies, thinking about what is used to identify, passports, driving licence, magnifying glass, arrows.
• Adjective - describing words, use our mouths, take the shape and simplify it.
• Adverb - gives info about a verb or an adjective. Think about what provides information, books, pamphlets, text.
• Pronoun - used to avoid repetition, think about how to demonstrate repetition, when saying pronouncing the word, lots of wide sounds, circular shapes.
• Preposition - used in front of nouns/pronouns, think of visualising a barrier or something stopping something else.
• Conjunction - used to connect phrases, what demonstrates connection? linking, games, contact etc.
• Determiner - introduces a noun, what else introduces, opening credits, star wars scroll screen.
• Exclamation - said with exciting words or phrases, bold, powerful and punchy, sometimes harsh.
• Contraction - shorted version of a word, think about how this can be applied to the shapes, think scale. 
• Modal verb - Used to indicate modality, shapes that look like they're been moulded, made by hand, more organic than other shapes. 
• Ordinal Number - a natural number (eg first)

Developing the shapes from other objects or symbols that were inspired by the definition of the word. 

Finalised shapes in the chosen colour palette.

Some words, such as since, later and along fit into more than one category, take the icons made and develop new one for the conversation:

Along = preposition and adverb

Later = adjective and adverb

Since = conjunction, adverb and preposition

Applying the shapes to the text, originally added as lines before shapes were developed then used the template to add in the final shapes

Thinking about ways to add more interest to the shapes since they're going to have to be digitallly printed.

Cut out symbols by hand

Hand rendered symbols

The hand rendered symbols have more of a tactile element to them, but also come across as more playful and youthful. The aesthetic provided by the hand rendered shapes doesn't compliment the mapping techniques as mapping is a precise way of documenting. 

Figuring out the Printing

• Original length was over 2 metres
• Printing is £6 per metre on required paperstock
• Need to keep longest conversation to 2 metres max to keep cost down.
• Original typesetting was 11pt with 23pt leading, then altered down to 18pt leading to shorten the length of the text.
• Width was originally 7cm wide, but tests were 4.5cm so size reduced to 5cm wide.
• 5cm wide = 12 fit on one 61cm sheet x 2 metres = £12