{"id":2,"date":"2025-04-08T15:20:51","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T15:20:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visible-language.org\/journal\/?page_id=2"},"modified":"2026-04-24T13:22:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T13:22:19","slug":"home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.visible-language.org\/journal\/","title":{"rendered":"Home"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Visible Language Journal<\/h1>\n
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Latest Issue: 60.1<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Visible Language Journal is the journal of research in interface, experience, and communication design. Visible Language impacts academic professionals, industry professionals, and students by supporting knowledge generation in and adjacent to design. The Visible Language editorial consortium is committed to rigor and relevance in design scholarship. Visible Language is the world’s oldest peer-reviewed design journal. The journal is SCOPUS-listed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The journal advocates the teaching, research, and practice of visual communication design to enhance the human experience. The journal is published by the Visible Language Consortium: University of Leeds, University of Cincinnati, and North Carolina State University. Visible Language balances artfulness with science, innovation with respect for human patterns of use, evidence-based research with intuitive exploration, and technology with humanity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Special Print Edition: Yearbook 2026<\/h2>\n

Visible Language<\/em> is pleased to announce our special print-edition Yearbook 2026 is available to purchase. Two articles, included in the printed yearbook, have been published for free to read. We hope you enjoy these articles and find the yearbook a useful addition to your bookshelf. Read more and order<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Journal Editorial Team<\/h2>\n
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Professor Maria Lonsdale<\/h3>\n

Co-founder of VL Consortium<\/p>\n

University of Leeds, UK<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Dr Jeanne-Louise Moys<\/h3>\n

Editor-in-Chief<\/p>\n

University of Leeds, UK<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Professor Mike Zender<\/h3>\n

Editor<\/p>\n

University of Cincinnati, Ullman School of Design, Ohio, USA<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Dr Matthew Peterson<\/h3>\n

Editor<\/p>\n

North Carolina State University, College of Design, USA<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Dr Arjun Khara<\/h3>\n

Associate Editor<\/p>\n

University of Leeds, UK<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Muhammad Rahman<\/h3>\n

Associate Editor<\/p>\n

University of Cincinnati, Ullman School of Design, Ohio, USA<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Dr Deborah Littlejohn<\/h3>\n

Associate Editor<\/p>\n

North Carolina State University, College of Design, USA<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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D.J. Trischler<\/h3>\n

Assistant Editor<\/p>\n

University of Cincinnati, Ullman School of Design, Ohio, USA<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Helen Armstrong<\/h3>\n

Assistant Editor<\/p>\n

North Carolina State University, College of Design, USA<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Dr Matthew Baxter<\/h3>\n

Assistant Editor<\/p>\n

University of Leeds, UK<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Dr Rafiq Elmansy<\/h3>\n

Editorial Manager<\/p>\n

University of Leeds, UK<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Latest<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Call for Papers: Special Issue, Early 2027<\/h2>\n

Typographic Landscapes: Migrating Types\u2014Typographic Meaning-Making Across Boundaries<\/strong><\/p>\n

Visible Language<\/em> invites submissions for a special issue on the emerging field of typographic landscape research, which connects scholarship in typography, graphic communication, and sociolinguistics to investigate typographic activities as social practice in public spaces.<\/p>\n

Typographic landscape research studies all forms of sign-making involving texts in urban, rural, and virtual contexts, ranging from commercial shop signs to self-authorized stickers, artistic murals, and posters, from commemorative placards to regulatory and infrastructural signage, created by professionals and laypeople alike.<\/p>\n

The field recognizes that the form of written language, the materiality of letters and signs, and their placement in architectural and other settings are part of the constituted meaning of the messages on display. Typography is not merely a vehicle for linguistic content but communicates meaning through graphic form and materiality itself.<\/p>\n

Typographic landscape research considers typographic work as social and communicative practice that is layered and situated across time and space, investigating the use of typographic resources as a means for social actors to perform identities, debate power relationships, negotiate spaces of inclusion or exclusion, signify belonging, challenge or manifest cultural hegemony, preserve local heritage, reference distant geographies, and transform shared places.<\/p>\n

This issue will be of interest to anyone designing with type, text and language, particularly those interested in the social dimensions of typography and graphic design, as well as those working with graphic communication in built environments, architecture, urban, and rural spaces.<\/p>\n

Submission deadline and contacts<\/h3>\n

The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, September 2, 2026. Earlier submissions are welcome. When creating your submission, please select the option \u201cspecial issue article\u201d from the options provided in the \u201csection\u201d field.<\/p>\n

All submissions will undergo an initial desk review and those that are to be considered for publication will be subject to double-blind peer review. Final acceptance will require approval from both the guest editors and editor-in-chief.<\/p>\n

The special issue is guest-edited by Irmi Wachendorff, University of Reading, UK, and Yu Li, Loyola Marymount University, USA. Inquiries may be sent to the guest editors or to Assistant Editor Matthew Baxter.<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Irmi Wachendorff (irmi.wachendorff[at]reading.ac.uk)<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Yu Li (yu.li[at]lmu.edu)<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Matthew Baxter (M.G.Baxter[at]leeds.ac.uk) More details are provided on the following page.<\/p>\n

Scope and contributions sought<\/h3>\n

The title \u201cMigrating Types\u2014Typographic Meaning-Making across Boundaries\u201d reflects the focus on typographic meaning-making between here and there, now and then, the self and the other, where such processes are especially active, productive, and consequential.<\/p>\n

For this special issue, we are looking for submissions that focus specifically on typographic meaning-making in public (semiotic) spaces referencing across cultural, geographical, territorial, and temporal boundaries. Contributions might engage with (but are not limited to) the role of typography in:<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Spaces of exclusion, inclusion, migration, and cohabitation<\/p>\n

\u25b6 The depiction of social hierarchies, power structures, and social transformation<\/p>\n

\u25b6 The creation of belonging, performance of identity, and negotiation of ideologies<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Visual and cultural stereotypes, representation, and hegemony<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Place-making, preservation of local heritage and identities, commodification, and gentrification<\/p>\n

We welcome submissions that:<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Draw on interdisciplinary scholarly foundations combining theoretical perspectives from graphic communication, typography, and sociolinguistics, as well as potentially social semiotics, anthropology, cultural, visual, and communication studies.<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Employ interdisciplinary methodological approaches (such as quantitative and qualitative empirical case studies, comparative cross-regional or historical analyses) and offer methodological innovations in data collection, mapping, coding, and frameworks for visual and multimodal analysis.<\/p>\n

Criteria for inclusion<\/h3>\n

We expect robust, scholarly, analytical, and critical research. All submissions must meet the following criteria:<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Clearly stated research question<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Strong scholarly foundations and engagement with relevant theoretical frameworks<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Appropriate research design and transparent documentation of systematic data collection processes and parameters (such as sampling strategies, sample size, geographic and temporal scope)<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Use of visual data as essential evidence to construct and support the analytical argument<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Critical analysis that moves beyond describing typographic phenomena to analyzing their social, cultural, and ideological significance<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Balanced interpretations that, rather than isolated observations, connect findings to broader contexts and theoretical constructs and critically discuss limitations<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Articulation of significance and implications for the design discipline, design practice, and society<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Accessible writing style that combines scholarly rigor with clear prose and rich visual examples, serving the journal\u2019s broad readership (practitioners, academics, and students)<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Stated ethical approval for the study and\/or copyright permissions to reproduce images, as relevant to the research<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Submission of high-quality images following Visible Language guidelines<\/em><\/p>\n

Structure and style<\/h3>\n

Submissions must follow the journal guidelines (with APA citations) and house style and include:<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Abstract (100\u2013200 words)<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Introduction (with clearly stated research question)<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Research context (literature review, rationale, objectives)<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Methods<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Findings (including examples of visual material\/data, as appropriate)<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Discussion (interpretation of results and implications)<\/p>\n

\u25b6 References (APA) https:\/\/www.visible-language.org\/journal\/ calls-and-submissions\/<\/p>\n

Ready to submit? Please click here to view submission guidelines<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Access the Latest Issue<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Visible Language Journal Latest Issue: 60.1 Visible Language Journal is the journal of research in interface, experience, and communication design. Visible Language impacts academic professionals, industry professionals, and students by supporting knowledge generation in and adjacent to design. The Visible Language editorial consortium is committed to rigor and relevance in design scholarship. Visible Language is … <\/p>\n

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