Recently a friend and co-worker asked me to lend a hand on a site that she’s building for a film festival taking place in St. Petersburg next fall. I agreed. So far it’s been quite an experience. First of all the festival will be the first international gay and lesbian film festival in Russia. The prospect of playing even a small part in enabling that is exciting. Secondly, as a web designer, it offers me the challenge of helping to develop a site that will accommodate two different languages and ultimately two different cultures.

Here are some of the challenges that I’ve had so far in light of this obstacle (or should I say opportunity):

1) Typography

Challenge

There are much fewer fonts available in Cyrillic. How do you develop an original an exciting brand with fewer options at your disposal?

Solution

a) Develop an alternate take on a classic. For example take a font like Franklin Gothic and slightly alter the settings.
b) Communicate important ideas through a universal language like illustration.

2) Defaults

Challenge

What sort of URL do you register? English? Russian? Do you have separate URLs?

Solution

We opted to go with different URLs. That way we’re addressing two different demographics directly. Russian visitors will go to the .RU site, enlgish visitors will tend to visit the .COM. We do, however, anticipate the option to switch between languages.

3) Symbols

Challenge

Different cultures have different positive and negative symbols.

Solution

A pair of shoes hanging from a tree or electric cable doesn’t have any symbolic value in Russia, but in the United States it can have several different meanings. Consciousness of what the imagery you’re using may imply within a certain cultural setting is important.

This is a work in progress, but please feel free to check out the site. If you have an opinion, idea or suggestion on this topic voice it in the comments.