Design Principles - Speech Made Visible

In the session we made up a list of 10/11 accents that we were then to try embodying in a typeface, putting emphasis of certain words that are emphasised in the accent.

Geordie

I kept Geordie a simple Gothic type, softened by the curved ends which contributes to the friendly nature of the accent. I put emphasis on the 'Who' and the 'you' and made it quite large as a Geordie accent is so different from others around the world that it demands attention.

Welsh

I incorporated a traditional celtic style for the Welsh accent as I find the Welsh are usually very proud of their heritage, but the phrase is modernised after the first letter.

Yorkshire

I kept the Yorkshire type simple and bold as there are more accents within Yorkshire, and it is a very broad accent, so this way I could make this type applicable to a few variations of accents within Yorkshire.

Irish

For irish I used quite a celtic style, putting emphasis on the 'you', although it could also be put on the 'are' depending on the tone in which it is being said. I made the whole thing quite a large point size for such a recognisable and noticeable accent.

Pirate

For the Pirate accent I chose a typeface similar to the script nature of a treasure map, with emphasis on the 'are' to exaggerate the 'arrr' noise.

French

For French, I chose to look at animated representations of the French and this decorative, OTT type came up a lot. I made he 'Who' slightly larger to put the correct emphasis on the throaty noise made by a french accent on some words.

Essex

An Essex accent is another hugely recognisable accent so it was important to make it appear different to the others. I chose a quite playful and disjointed typeface to represent the individuality of the accent, and emphasised the 'you' in a larger font.

Scouse

For the Scouse accent I wanted to put some emphasis on the throaty noise that it made for some words and this scratchy scribbled type I think could be compared to that.

Jamaica

For Jamaica I used Bob Marley as a reference and tried to replicate a carefree and relaxed attitude to the type and decided on using a simple and childlike script type. I emphasised the 'are you?' part to represent the really strong jamaican accents that are sometimes difficult to decipher.

Russia

I chose bold lettering for the Russian accent as a lot of people will put it in conjunction with Russia, and it demands attention from the reader.

Australian

I chose a simple hand rendered type for the Australian accent, it appears relaxed and calm like the nature of the accent. I put emphasis on the 'are' as a lot of emphasis is put on 'a's in the accent.