Latin-Norwegian dictionary (Cappelen Damm)

Sirba, a typeface designed by Nicolien van der Keur, conceived especially for complex text environments, was used in the Latin-Norwegian dictionary published in 2015 by one of the country’s largest publishing houses, Cappelen Damm. This is the first of a series of three, developed for different target groups. Tank Design, responsible for the design of the dictionary, used a customised version of Sirba IPA (phonetic alphabet) for this complex project.

One of the main challenges was to create a design that would ensure consistency throughout all the series and languages. Tank decided on the font Sirba after a thorough research process: “Sirba was chosen for its aesthetic qualities as well as its performance in small sizes. It is complex yet friendly, and provides the necessary weights and contrasts for a dictionary environment. The main entry words are set in the special Black style improving legibility and helping the reader in finding the word in question”.

Credits
Cappelen Damm — Managing director: Øyvind Martinsen; Managing editor: Inger-Ma Gabrielsen
Tank — Creative leader: Helge Persen; Design: Åshild Knudsen, Tina Tømmeraas Aasvestad