In
previous projects I have explored the use of language through typography. A project, which influenced me vastly into the topic for my final major
project, was a typographic response to the Birmingham accent. I explored the distortion of letter forms to communicate the accent, and used languages specific to ethnical background living in Birmingham. This influenced my decision to question the
depth of language further, specifying ‘universal language’, as I am also
interested in the unity between people formed through language.
The
potential that language can become more than written and spoken also excites
me. In the most basic explanation, I am questioning communication across
cultures, and to what extent there is a greater understanding about certain
aspects in this world. To undergo research and testing, I will be using processes
such as printmaking, typography and digital software, all of which I have used
before, and look to influence my project.
The
sense of language being a greater form of communication relates to the bigger
picture of me as a designer, as I am constantly questioning how work
communicates in comparison to its intended communication. As a designer I want
to question this boundary at which something communicates with clarity across a
large audience, and it's potential to act as a langue. For example, the design
of Margaret Calvert’s road signs is a recognisable from of communication which is understood across a large universal group. It becomes a universal language for that group of people.