Putting Indigenous languages back into homes
The Language for Life resource iilo designed for FPCC was informative for parents and family members, as well as lively and appealing to children, helping to give families the confidence to learn and use their Indigenous language every day.
Communication design challenge
The First Peoples’ Cultural Council (FPCC) is a First Nations-run crown corporation that supports the revitalization of Indigenous languages, arts, culture, and heritage in BC. We were engaged to design Language for Life, a print and digital resource that supported families to integrate their Indigenous language into their households and daily activities.
While iilo Creative Alliance has created several business documents and reports for FPCC in the past, Language for Life was unique, since it was aimed at parents and children. Language for Life included content sections to outline the integration process, offered tips and encouragement, and contained activities and templates.
We began this project by delivering a creative concept, to establish the look and feel of the resource while the content was being edited and original photography was being produced. Reflecting the FPCC brand, we designed a fun footer graphic to reinforce the idea of home and language. We also suggested appealing ways to highlight key content such as callout boxes, speech bubbles, and unique graphics.
The colour palette for Language for Life evolved from darker to lighter FPCC brand colours once design began, and the content, photography, and design elements all came together nicely after we had an approved creative concept. Activity and template pages were given special treatment, since each one was unique – some required original graphics and space to provide responses, while others needed to incorporate illustrations and instructions.
Outcomes
The end result is an informative, engaging, and easy-to-read 40-page resource that parents and children in BC can use to integrate their Indigenous language into their home life.
