Danielle Heystek

ABC's of Afrikaans

Bachelor of Design 3D Typography Experience Design

The two layers of the language learning box. The first contains the language learning cards and the phonetics guide. The second layer contains the 3D letterforms.

AD25 Award

DINZ Award

Visualising the sound of Afrikaans through typography.

Exploring how experimental typography can preserve the Afrikaans language through a 3D typographic experience, with a focus on language learning.

Afrikaans, being a young language and with the large number of South Africans immigrating, raises concern that Afrikaans could become a lost language. Through creating a sensory typographic learning experience, the aim is to teach people Afrikaans, with a focus on word pronunciation and phonics, thereby preserving the language.

Sound is translated into shapes that inform the base shape of the letterforms. These letterforms are then 3D printed to create tangible objects that people can interact with. By engaging people's senses, it activates their cognition, making language learning more approachable and increasing the likelihood that they will recall what they have learned. The contribution of this project is to preserve a language, thereby ensuring the preservation of identity.

Displaying the front and the back of the language learning cards, as well as the phonetics guide. This helps language learners with the pronunciation of Afrikaans words and explains how to pronounce certain phonics in the Afrikaans language.

The letterform that corresponds to the Afrikaans word accompanying the language learning cards.

The 3D letterforms engage the senses, making language learning more fun.