Silent Tools is a project that was created for a Swiss teacher developing an online tool to teach French as a foreign language outside the classroom based on the pedagogical theories of the Silent Way developed by an influential 20th century mathematician: Caleb Gattegno.
The Silent Way methodology is partly based on a complex system of colors, which is why they were at the core of this project. However, it was decided not to involve the colors of the Silent Way system in the graphic creation of the project. On the one hand to avoid visual conflicts by creating a clear separation between the visual presentation of the tool and the elements of the tool itself. On the other hand, it was also about being able to exploit the full potential of the colors for themselfs used in the graphic design.
The combination of both initials of the project name in association with the concept of the Enso was more in relation to its meaning than to its origin. According to the Zen tradition, the calligraphed Enso is a representation of vacuity, otherwise emptiness, which was an ideal reference to the idea of silence central in the pedagogical practice of the Silent Way.
The Enso also bears the idea of personal development and renewal, which elegantly recalled the processes of the Silent Way on teaching a language. Those processes require one to deploy the knowledge in terms of sounds one already possesses, to reapply and develop them into the sounds of the new language being learned. The Enso was also a beautiful starting point for a minimal design that would effectively reflect the modern style required by the client .
Silent Tools consists of an online ecosystem of three tools aimed at teaching French through the representation of sounds by colours. And with the aim of getting users to collaborate in order to create an organic understanding of the language.
Thank you for watching !
