Tölum íslensku
Project Description
A wearable pin for people learning Icelandic. It tells the person across the counter that you would like to keep going in Icelandic, which is usually all it takes to stop the conversation from flipping to English the moment you hesitate.
Almost everyone learning Icelandic runs into the same wall. You start a sentence, you pause to find a word, and the other person switches to English to be helpful. The pin is a way of saying, before the pause, that you would rather they did not. We built the identity, the packaging, the posters, and the rest of the campaign material around that one small object, so the request is easy to make in public and easy to read at a glance.
- Industry
- Education & Culture
- Deliverables
- Campaign Identity, Wearable Pin, Packaging, Posters
- Timeline
- 2 weeks
- Scope
- Concept, Identity, Print Design, Campaign System
Typography
JUST Sans is plain and friendly, which is what a public campaign needs. It keeps the message from sounding like an institution telling you to do something.
The work had to survive being printed at pin size and at poster size, so legibility beat everything else. The open letterforms hold up at both ends of that range, which matters more than it sounds when the accented Icelandic characters start closing up at small sizes.
Uppercase (26)
Lowercase (26)
Color Palette
Cascara
#D95542
Sapphire Glitter
#1836C2
Alabaster Grey
#EAEAEA
The colours come from the Icelandic flag, which does most of the explaining before anyone reads a word. Sapphire Glitter is the base, Cascara is the warm red that carries the invitation, and Alabaster Grey keeps the printed pieces readable. Recognisably Icelandic, without looking like it came out of a ministry.
Icebreakers
The icebreakers give the pin something to say. Each icon is a small prompt: I am learning, I want to practise, please keep going in Icelandic.
We kept them simple because what most learners are missing is not another lesson. It is permission to be slow in public. The icons work the same whatever your age or accent, and however far along you happen to be.
