YOUT

A saddle-stitched one-word dictionary to celebrate the colourfulness of dialects within a loose language.

OVERVIEW
Based on the ISTD competition concept “Spaces Between”, I explored languages and accents revolved around a distinct group of people in London who I often associated with growing up. The unifying force of colours bring a strong tone towards the word and it’s Jamaican x British influences. My intentions were to implement the tone of pride within the dictionary so that it was a true celebration of a word that influenced dialects in the English language.

TYPOGRAPHY
Before I embarked on this project I hadn’t previously focused on typography as an artform, so it was rewarding to have studied the topics of my project whilst maintaining a welcoming change of pace to see something more tangible and reflective in my work.

YOUT?
The one-word dictionary celebrates a word that associates with a language that is often spoken by young people of all backgrounds; Multicultural London English. With the ‘youth’ of today having more of a significant role in shaping the opinions and social importance globally, it felt fitting to dedicate a book to a word that could mean more than a mere definition. By injecting meaning to this word, the book widens the cultural, historical, and social definition of the word ‘Yout’ through a series of lino print illustrations and typographic layouts.

COLOUR
The combination of red and yellow vibrantly complement each other because it brings a strong tone towards the word and it’s Jamaican and British influences. Initially I had the green and black Jamaican combination, however, they made the book feel militaristic for the subject matter.

LINO PRINT
I wanted to try a new medium in this project since I was beginning to learn about typography anyway, so I thought the aesthetic of hand-made typography would bring a personable yet-rough aesthetic towards the subject matter. One of the aims for this projects was to showcase the importance of dynamic properties, which involved the interaction and connection between the reader and the text. Therefore it felt fitting to blend typography and lino print to influence Jamaican culture and language through the various meanings of the word ‘Yout’.

LINO PRINTING