Bridging linguistic education, research, and typography: an interdisciplinary study in language accessibility and design
Pusnik, Nace and Ježovnik, Janoš (2026) Bridging linguistic education, research, and typography: an interdisciplinary study in language accessibility and design. Acta Graphica, 34 (2). pp. 89-99. ISSN 0353-4707
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This article explores a collaboration between linguists, educators, and typographers aimed at improving the representation and readability of Slavic languages. The project addresses challenges in diacritic placement, typographic clarity, and accessibility for readers with diverse linguistic and perceptual needs. By combining linguistic research with typographic design, it examines how the visual form of language affects comprehension, engagement, and inclusion. Rather than viewing typography as purely aesthetic, the study emphasizes its role in supporting equitable multilingual literacy and authentic cultural representation. Grounded in social constructivism, experiential learning, and self-determination theory, the project followed a design-based research model involving iterative design, collaborative evaluation, and continuous feedback. These collaborations built typographic literacy and produced inclusive design solutions tailored to Slavic writing systems. Participant observation, collaborative evaluation sessions, reflective documentation, and iterative design analysis indicated that improvements in diacritic placement, character distinction, and accessible font development enhanced perceived legibility, readability, and typographic clarity. The resulting typographic framework illustrates how interdisciplinary collaboration can connect linguistic precision with visual communication. It demonstrates typography’s value as a pedagogical tool and its potential to foster inclusive, culturally responsive, and linguistically accurate education, while showing how design-based research can drive innovation in educational materials.
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