Talking About Speech Balloons: Introduction
Introduction
Speech balloons can also be referred to as speech bubbles, dialogue balloons, or word balloons. In this series, it will be referred to as a speech balloon. A speech balloon is a graphic to convey a message from a character either by speech or by thought.
This topic is divided into seven parts:
- Introduction and Common Shapes
- Speaking Within & Outside a Panel
- Colors, Emotions & Symbols
- Foreign Language & Fonts
- Other Speech Balloons Shapes
- Thought Balloons
- Placement
Some may wonder, “Seven parts? Does this guy think there is that much information to go on that long about this topic?” Originally, I designed this as one article but decided it best to divide it into different sections due to the large number of graphics used for examples.
Common Speech Balloon Shapes
There are two common speech balloon shapes. Either may be used, but in all cases, the text should be centered within the balloon.
Round or elliptical are the most common and traditional shapes for speech balloons.
