Ubuntu
Warm earth tones, made for the South African service.
Printing this design
The terracotta wash across the top of the cover is a mid-weight colour load — more than the pale designs, well under the dark covers — and it survives a photocopier better than most because the laurel frame is a solid mark rather than a hairline. That matters when two hundred copies are being run off at a shop rather than a print house.
Choosing the photograph
The arch crop rounds the top of the frame, so leave space above the head. A formal portrait is the norm, but the design is warm enough to carry a relaxed photograph without looking casual. Earth tones in the picture — brown, ochre, wood — sit naturally against the cover.
Questions about Ubuntu
- Does the izithakazelo line appear automatically?
- There is a place for it directly beneath the name, which is where South African families expect to find it. You type the clan praises in; the design does not assume them, but it does not treat them as an afterthought either.
- Which languages does it support?
- All seven the editor carries — English, Afrikaans, isiZulu, isiXhosa, Sesotho, Sepedi and Setswana. The layout allows for the longer headings those languages produce rather than forcing the type smaller to fit.
- Can it be used for a vigil or a memorial as well?
- Yes, and families frequently use the same design across the vigil sheet, the funeral booklet and the unveiling a year later. Keeping one design across the three ties them together without any extra work.