Update 19/06/2022: This was originally an announcement post. Since updating my
website and removing the Announcement section (and gaining a Graphics
section), I have decided to use this as the article for describing
this graphics project. I intend to come back and update the article to
reflect its new context but for now, this is all I've got.
I have made a 'grammar pack' for the German language based on the
grammar guide at LingQ. The pack consists of three things. They are:
- a book
- a pack of (playing) cards
- a collection of desktop wallpapers/backgrounds.
You can download them all using the link at the end of this
announcement. I must stress here, though, this pack is a
prototype. So, you should expect spelling errors, alignment problems
and other unforeseen mistakes.
Before getting too far in to this announcement, I though it would be a
good idea to explain what/who LingQ is/are. With that said, I don't
want to put words into their month. So, here is how LingQ describe
themselves,
LingQ is a fun, simple way to learn languages from authentic,
interesting content. Learning the language from the language itself,
just as most children learn their own language.
If you would like to know more about them, there is a link at the
bottom which will take you to their website. Also, I am not
associated with them in any way. I'm a customer and nothing more.
I decided to make this collection of 'toys' for two reasons. The first
is because I haven't done a graphic design project in a long time
which was getting to me. The second one is because I wanted a way to
exposed myself to the (German) grammar rules in a passive way (for
now). If you haven't guessed yet, I'm using LingQ to learn German. So,
I will need to know how the grammar works if I want to reach a
reasonable level. (I new to LingQ so I don't know if it'll stick --
see me in five years time.)
As I stated above, this version of the grammar pack is a prototype --
the second prototype actually. Because of this, I've based the designs
on what I need/want with the hardware/tools available to me. So, the
wallpapers might not sit well on your screen, the front cover/book
might be unprintable.
Last of all, I intend to stop active work on this project for the time
being. That is unless there is a lot of feedback from people (on
LingQ's forum most likely). This is because I would like to let what I
have made settle and see what sticks before refining it.
Why I Published These Files
The simple answer is because I thought it might give people ideas or
act as a starting point at least. What I've made will not be to
everyones taste but it might be what they need to get going if not.
The Book
LingQ Grammar Guide Book 1.
On LingQ's website, they have a grammar guide alongside the languages
they offer (German in my case). So, I've taken the German guide and
arranged it into a book (for myself first and foremost). I did this
because I don't like sitting at my computer all the time for
reading. And, you can't draw on the screen and make notes like you can
with a book. This meant I was relunctant to head over to that part of
LingQ's website and make my way through the guide. Now, I leave the
book on the table in the living room and have a quick glance at it
whilst having a coffee. I don't need to grab my computer, wait for the
browser to start and then the page -- which also put me off reading
the guide.
The book itself is A5 and about forty sides (twenty pages) long --
when printed, folded and stapled together. The layout of the text
means you will need a double-sided A4 printer. If you haven't got one,
you can print all the odd pages first and then print all the even
pages on the reverse-side. Unfortunately, each printer is different so
you might need to play around with yours. I printed mine on 80 gsm
cartridge paper. The finish is not the best but it's good enough.
LingQ Grammar Guide Book 2.
When you have everything printed, you will need to bind it. I did this
using a long-arm stapler. There are other ways you can bind it but
that is something beyond the scope of this announcement. Instead, I
will leave a link at the bottom for a quick guide, by WikiHow, to get
you started. Like I said earlier, at the moment, I've focused this
prototype on my needs. Depending on feedback, this might expand.
The front cover is a novel feature. You don't need it but the book
does feel fancy with it. To print it, you will need an A3
printer. If you don't have one, you can print the first page of the
book on some card or leave it out. The content in the book is the most
important thing. I printed my front cover on 250 gsm glossy photo
paper which made it quite sturdy and the text is sharp. With that
said, feel free to use whatever paper you prefer.
LingQ Grammar Guide Book Cover.
I will end this section by saying the front cover is not my finest
work. It's very rough and the trimmarks are a little under 10 mm off
-- even when printed at 100% scale. I did this because it's a
prototype and wanted some wriggle-room and my maths is rubbish. For a
nice (nicer) finish, trim the bound book (including the front cover)
on a (good) guillotine. Also, make sure the printer is not set to 'fit
to page', it must be '100%'.
Playing Cards
The cards are nothing more than a reduced version of the book. Some of
the cards will not make sense unless you've read the book/actual
grammar guide. My intention with these was to have a way to expose the
grammar guide to me in a passive manner. I can't read the book all the
time and I won't have the book with me at all times, either. To help
with that, I've been sticking the cards to my computer screens and
using them as bookmarks. Which, in-turn, does two things. The first is
they keep the idea of learning German in my day-to-day thinking and
the second is I will want to read the book. The reason why I will want
to read the book is because the cards don't contain enough
information. They don't make sense unless I have enough of a grounding
in the rules they refer to. Which means I need to go back to book
because the missing information will annoy me.
Printed playcards which I've laminated.
The design of the cards allows you to have a front and a back if you
want. This is easier if you have a (A4) printer which does
double-sided printing but it's not essential. I've marked all the
front-facing designs with an 'a' and the back-facing ones with 'b' in
the filenames. So, 'lingq-printing-sheet-1a-p2.png' is the
front and 'lingq-printing-sheet-1b-p2.png' is the back. If
you can't do a double-sided print, print the 'a' sides first and then
flip them around and print the 'b' sides on the back. You will find
they don't line up as well but they should be close enough for you to
use them.
My intent for the 'a' sides is obvious. With the 'b' sides, though,
I'm still unsure of the purpose of them. On the one hand, you can use
the back-side as a place to add your own notes. On the other, you can
make the cards double-up as 'renew-able post-it notes'. If you
laminate them, like I did, it becomes very easy to leave a note on
them and wipe it way when you no longer need said note. That's after
you've learnt the rule on the front, of course.
I printed my cards on 160 gsm matt card and laminated them with
pouches 60 micron thick. I did a few tests using thicker paper and
laminate pouches and they are more robust. With that said, my current
set-up is fine. They don't feel like they're going to fall apart any
time soon.
Desktop Wallpapers/Backgrounds
An example of how
the desktop wallpapers look.
As an aside, 'wallpaper' and 'background' are interchangeable terms at
this point. So, if desktop 'wallpaper' makes no sense, replace it with
'background'.
The wallpaper designs are an extension of the playing cards. They are
another way for me to expose myself to the German language and its
rules in a passive manner. I tend to set my desktop wallpaper up as a
slideshow which changes every 30 minutes.
I say again, this is a prototype focused on my needs and
wants. Because of this, the set of wallpapers I've created are all in
one size (2560x1440 px). This is the screensize I use the most so I
made sure the designs fit that the best. Again, depending on feedback,
the range of sizes might expand. I've found, though, if you set your
wallpaper to 'scaled', they should look ok (on
widescreens). Unfortunately, each operating system has a different way
of setting their wallpapers. So, I'm gonna have to leave you hanging
with regards to showing you how to change you wallpaper.
Lockscreens and Mobile
You will notice the pack doesn't include a 'mobile' version for the
wallpapers. This is because I don't use my phone much beyond the
essentials and I tend to work on and prefer desktops. So, I haven't
bothered making versions for it.
When it comes to lockscreens, I have found my Linux computer is fine
using the desktop wallpapers. My windows tablet, though, works best
when I use the image with only the blue background (no 'cards'). I
haven't tried this with a Mac so I don't know if it'll work or what's
best/good. As each operating system is different, I'm gonna have to
leave you hanging on this, as well. Sorry...
Why Only .PNG and .PDF Files and No 'Working' Files
All the files in the 'grammar pack' (link below) come in the formats
they are because the working files are very rough. I didn't want you
trying to unravel the chaotic layers and linked file/missing font
errors. Again, if enough people show an interest, I will look to
expanding what I've shared. For now, though, it feels like extra work.
File Breakdown
The grammar pack comes as a .zip file so you need to unzip it after
you've downloaded it. This should be a case of right-clicking on the
file and selecting something along the lines of '7-Zip -> Extract
Here'. Again, each operating system is different in this regard so, if
you're unsure, you might need to look-up how to do it.
As an aside, I should point out here the .zip file is about 30MB in
size. The reason why is because I haven't worried about optimising the
designs/files yet. I didn't think it was worth it at this stage of the
design process.
After you have unzipped the file, you will find the following file
structure,
shell
lingq-german-p2
├── wallpapers
│ ├── desktop-wallpaper-p2-4-verb-tenses.png
│ ├── desktop-wallpaper-p2-4-understanding-cases.png
│ ├── desktop-wallpaper-p2-4-subjunctive.png
│ ├── desktop-wallpaper-p2-4-seperable-and-inseperable-prefix-verbs.png
│ ├── desktop-wallpaper-p2-4-relative-pronouns.png
│ ├── desktop-wallpaper-p2-4-prepositions.png
│ ├── desktop-wallpaper-p2-4-passive-voice.png
│ ├── desktop-wallpaper-p2-4-numbers.png
│ ├── desktop-wallpaper-p2-4-nouns.png
│ ├── desktop-wallpaper-p2-4-nouns-gender.png
│ ├── desktop-wallpaper-p2-4-intro-to-verbs.png
│ ├── desktop-wallpaper-p2-4-constructing-sentences.png
│ ├── desktop-wallpaper-p2-4-conditions-and-imperatives.png
│ ├── desktop-wallpaper-p2-4-articles.png
│ ├── desktop-wallpaper-p2-4-adjectives.png
│ ├── desktop-wallpaper-base-p2-3.png
│ ├── desktop-wallpaper-base-p2-2.png
│ └── desktop-wallpaper-base-p2-1.png
├── playing-cards
│ ├── lingq-printing-sheet-5b-p2.png
│ ├── lingq-printing-sheet-5a-p2.png
│ ├── lingq-printing-sheet-4b-p2.png
│ ├── lingq-printing-sheet-4a-p2.png
│ ├── lingq-printing-sheet-3b-p2.png
│ ├── lingq-printing-sheet-3a-p2.png
│ ├── lingq-printing-sheet-2b-p2.png
│ ├── lingq-printing-sheet-2a-p2.png
│ ├── lingq-printing-sheet-1b-p2.png
│ └── lingq-printing-sheet-1a-p2.png
└── book
├── lingq-german-grammar-guide-p2.3.pdf
├── lingq-german-grammar-guide-p2.3-1.pdf (for single-sided printing)
└── lingq-german-grammar-guide-front-cover-p2.1.png
Within 'lingq-german-p2', there are three folders:
- book
- playing cards
- wallpapers
Within those folders are the files relating to those
'mini-projects'. At this point, it is a case of opening the files and
seeing what's in there.
If you're struggling with any of the above, I've created a thread in
LingQ's forums. So, feel free to head over to that and ask any
questions you have. The link (like the rest of them) is below.
I'm Sure I've Forgot Something
I've tried to include as much information as I can without you getting
bogged down in an little announcement which turned into a novel. With
that said, I'm sure somethings won't make sense because I've forgot to
add that crucial piece of information which brings everything
together. If that's the case, hopefully the discussion on LingQ's
forum will pick up the slack.
Last of all, I can't stress this enough: the designs included here are
all prototypes. And, more importantly, they are aimed at solving my
goals first-and-foremost. The people I expect to find the most use
from everything listed above are people who like to tinker and make
things. I wouldn't be surprised if people used these files as nothing
more than a starting-point for their own projects. Everything included
here is incomplete and requires you to have reasonable computer
skills. The designs are not 'finished products'. With that said, I
don't want to discourage people from wanting to learn and make
things. So, if you're wanting to improve your computer/design/making
skills, I think this is a good project to try your hand at.
Links