Developing a Cohesive Visual Language and Testing the Methodology in Practice
After a difficult Week 21, Week 22 became a turning point where the project moved forward with renewed clarity. This week was entirely focused on developing the design outcomes through the methodological structure I had built across the previous weeks. For the first time, the project began to feel cohesive, with clear links between the research, the workshop intentions, and the visual experiments emerging on the page.
The methodology became the anchor for every design decision. I worked through each stage deliberately, beginning with the engage and collect phases, revisiting the dialect words identified earlier in the process and reconnecting them with their cultural and tonal significance. This helped ensure that the design outcomes were not arbitrary typographic experiments but grounded responses to lived, spoken language.
Translating Workshop Logic into Visual Development
The workshop framework, even though not yet formally delivered, continued to function as a conceptual tool that clarified how each word behaves when spoken. The tasks on loud–quiet contrast, personality mapping and gesture drawing shaped the questions I asked of each design:
- Is this word heavy or light?
- Does it burst, snap or flow?
- Is the rhythm fast, clipped or drawn out?
- How does the voice occupy space?
These questions became prompts for visual exploration. Expressions such as “Gi’ore,” “Chuffin Hell,” “Be Reyt,” “Eyup,” and “Reyt Good” were tested across multiple typographic treatments to capture their sonic identity.
“Gi’ore” required a sharp, interrupted visual behaviour. I experimented with abruptly angled shapes, truncated terminals and compressed counters to evoke the cut-off nature of the spoken word.
“Chuffin Hell” demanded expansion and release, so I explored stretching forms, explosive outlines and rhythmic spacing to mimic the phrase’s escalating intensity.
“Eyup” sits on a softer, welcoming tone, leading me to rounder, more open forms with balanced spatial rhythm.
Iterative Development and Reflective Practice
Schön’s concept of reflection in action became increasingly central this week. Each iteration opened new possibilities, and I found myself responding quickly and intuitively to what appeared on the screen. When a typographic form felt visually disconnected from its sonic characteristics, I returned to the workshop prompts to reassess. This iterative cycle created a productive tension between intention and outcome, helping refine the emerging visual language.
I also began to embrace imperfection more consciously. Earlier in the project, I had tried to force the designs into overly refined compositions, but expressive typographers like Moross and Deuchars demonstrate that energy often emerges from looseness and irregularity. Allowing the type to shift, stretch, misbehave and break conventional typographic rules led to more authentic and culturally resonant outcomes.
Contextualising the Work Through Mockups
One of the most valuable developments this week was placing designs into environmental mockups. This included imagining the words on building façades, posters, public signage and everyday Barnsley settings such as stairwells, railings and brick walls.
Context changed everything.
A word like “Chuffin Hell” carried humour and relatability when placed in an everyday location, grounding the design in lived culture. “Be Reyt,” when scaled onto a large public surface, took on a reassuring tone that reflected its place in Barnsley identity. Seeing the work in situ allowed me to evaluate scale, contrast, weight and legibility in a way that flat digital canvases could not.
These mockups also reinforced UNESCO’s framing of intangible cultural heritage: dialect is not merely textual content but a living part of social identity. Seeing dialect words occupying public space visually affirmed this idea, transforming informal expressions into shared cultural markers.
Emergence of a Visual System
By the end of the week, I noticed the beginnings of a coherent typographic system taking shape. Although each word needed its own treatment to respect its sonic identity, certain visual patterns emerged across the designs:
- bolder strokes for words with assertive tone
- elongated forms for softer or stretched pronunciation
- disrupted outlines for sharp or explosive phrasing
- intentionally irregular spacing to reflect rhythm
This emerging system is not prescriptive but reflective, echoing the variation and personality found in spoken dialect.
Looking Ahead
This week concluded with a substantial body of work that demonstrates the methodology in action. I now have a clearer understanding of how the research, workshop logic and reflective cycles intersect to generate meaningful visual outcomes. The next step will be refining these designs, assembling them into the Studio Practice document, and preparing the evaluation.
This week has shown that the project is not only viable but rich in creative and cultural potential. The work is now grounded, confident and ready for final refinement.
LSJ DESIGNS 
Leave a comment