Community grounding
Preliminary community contact helped translate cultural context into concrete design requirements.
CASE STUDY / 022023
Bashu Type
Giving visible form to a living dialect
01 / Overview
A cultural typography project translating the rhythm, personality, and everyday context of Sichuan dialect into a distinctive visual language. The work was selected for the 2024 Annual Art Exhibition of the Arts College at Sichuan University and received an Excellence Award.
02 / Challenge
The problem had to be experienced, not only seen.
Dialect is heard and lived, while type is seen. The project needed to avoid decorative stereotypes and build a system that native speakers could recognize and respond to.
03 / Process
Speaker feedback
Focus groups and tests with native Sichuan dialect speakers guided recognition and iteration.
System application
Prototype characters were extended through visual applications and documented as a coherent cultural design outcome.
04 / Outcomes
05 / Full project presentation
Selected portfolio spreads showing the research, design process, and final outcome.
06 / Reflection
The project connects visual craft with participatory cultural research. Its Excellence Award at the 2024 Annual Art Exhibition of the Arts College at Sichuan University further validated its cultural and visual value. The next step would be to expand the character set and test its performance across digital and environmental applications.