Footsteps magazine
FOR: Tearfund
Designing resource materials for use in multiple languages
Language editing
Flexible design
Printed material
Over many years, Wingfinger has forged a close and effective working relationship with leading poverty relief charity Tearfund. Our language design work for Tearfund includes Footsteps magazine, evolving and adapting this design according to need and technology across several decades.
Footsteps is published in four language editions – English, French, Spanish and Portuguese – though we’ve also produced this and many other Tearfund resources in Russian, Zande, Lusoga and Swahili among other languages.
Materials can end up in widely differing contexts, cultures and literacy groups. Because of this, we try to put ourselves in the end-user’s shoes, working hard to ensure that the structure of each document is as clear as possible to keep the flow of text and image content clear and easy to follow, whether it is destined for print or online consumption.
The files we produce are accessible by Tearfund’s partner organisations around the world, enabling them to produce localised versions in, for example, Hindi, Cantonese and Amharic. It’s reassuring to know that the designs are usable even where rich-world technology doesn’t exist.
Design features take account of eventual translations right from the start. We build in extra space and flexible elements that can adapt to different language flows – documents could end up far longer if not. We want a translation to fit without losing legibility or appearing too cramped, and adjustments in proportion keep a balanced look. There are also grammar, punctuation and stylistic idiosyncrasies. For example, working alongside translators and language editors across English, French, Spanish and Portuguese we need to think about: spaces between text and guillemets, colons or brackets; when initial capital letters are used; how accents and double quotes are applied… to mention just a few!
More information about the work that Tearfund do in responding to disasters and the injustice of extreme poverty around the world can be found on Tearfund’s website.
Our work in international publications presented in different language variations often requires additional materials – Wingfinger have designed books, magazines, leaflets, posters, websites, marketing materials such as banners, and social media ads, all of which benefit from our long experience in this complex design area.
See our multi-language work in action with editions of Footsteps and many other resources on Tearfund’s Learn website.