Intriguing script journeys

The 2021 publication revolves around the topic of the diverse cultural, political, and linguistic journeys a certain language undertakes, and the different scripts that are adopted to personify it. This topic came to light from the Aljamiado research throughout 2020 and 2021 while the typefaces 29LT Okaso and Oskura were being created. Aljamiado manuscripts were written using the Arabic script, but when read out loud, they sound like archaic Spanish filled with Arabic Islamic words (lexicons). By definition, Aljamiado, or Aljamía texts, are manuscripts using the Arabic script for transcribing Romance languages such as Spanish and Portuguese. You can read the full article about the 29LT Okaso typeface, where a comprehensive explanation of this topic is tackled.

From the Aljamiado topic, other scripts’ stories were found and researched. The interest was in languages that adopted and changed to different scripts based on historical, cultural, and/or political influences. From the collected research, it is important to understand that our identities are intertwined with different backgrounds, cultures, and languages. We are recognized by our past, our roots, and our mother language. From a diverse list of languages researched, three topics were selected for the publication: the Turkish language, the Post-Soviet languages, and the Vietnamese language. The publication contains four chapters, each written in two or three languages in connection with the topic. The use of several languages and scripts echoes the drive of 29LT to support several world scripts. Every chapter showcases the interlaced visual approach of two or more scripts that coexist visually to trigger historical ties.

The entire publication has a unifying design approach while each chapter retains a specific layout design. Each chapter layout is inspired by a visual research representing the subject.