In order to tell the bear's story in Wander, I needed to create a bear language. I researched Native American and Runic symbols, Mayan and Egyptian hieroglyphics, the Maori alphabet, Cree and Inuktitut syllabics, as well as hobo symbols, icons and emojis, and ultimately crafted a set of guidelines for creating my bear glossary:
- Symbols should be drawn with a bold, and slightly primitive stroke – as if drawn by a large paw.
- Weighting of language should reflect bearness. The same symbol, for example, works for sunrise or sunset, but there are multiple symbols for fish – a favorite bear food.
- There should be a mix of everyday items (frog) and higher order concepts (wonder.)
Everyday concepts:
Higher order concepts
Some symbols display negatives as a reverse of the positive. Friendship, left and, conflict, right.
Others build progressively. Stress (l), Worry/concern (m) or a heightened sense of danger (r).
Left to right, the symbols for wander, explore, flee, and lost all contain similar elements and share the root glyph for self.
How many glyphs?
In total, there are 72 glyphs in this set. For consistency, I created a brush set in Procreate so that all the glyphs would work like any font. The print version of Wander was created with two-page spreads, while the Apple Books version was formatted specifically for iPads and includes tappable glyphs on each page with a shorter pop-up definition in addition to the glossary. Wander was designed in Adobe InDesign, and animated using interactive features within InDesign.
Sample of a tappable glyph revealing a short definition:
Brush set in Procreate:
The rest of the glyphs:
The end result is a very different kind of story – and one that will appeal to all ages.
Wander begins with a dreaming bear waking from hibernation, and meanders along across the seasons, exploring the environment, encountering wildlife and sharing new experiences before returning to hibernation at the end of the year. This story is told from the bear’s perspective – imagined via rich bearish glyphs representing the bear’s language. A full glossary of pictographs serves as a reference to check your understanding.
Wander illustrates the richness, complexity and validity of all life.
The Apple Books version includes tappable glyphs with short definitions. Print version is available on Amazon. Ages 9+
