DIGITIZATION OF TYPOGRAPHIC CULTURAL HERITAGE AND ITS APPLICATION IN INTERACTIVE WEB PRESENTATION

Much of the literature on history and cultural heritage is available exclusively in physical (printed) form. The traditional approach towards education still values this type of media more than digital methods of learning and information distribution. This often takes place in communities where people have difficulty accessing this information. Digitization can contribute to solving the problem of accessibility and general interest. This paper discusses the issues of cultural preservation and technical knowledge necessary for the implementation of cultural heritage in modern multimedia. Examples selected for this paper include typical monuments and a writing system from the 14th to 16th century from the area of Bosnia and Herzegovina, specifically the culture of “stećak” (tombstone) and the alphabet called “Bosančica”. The paper explores the possibilities of using widely available programs and tools for the promotion of cultural heritage in the digital world integrated in the form of a website. Through several examples, various tools were used to digitize the most prominent characteristics of these monuments: their writing, iconography and relief. The material was used to assemble an interactive educational web platform. Unlike traditional sources, the digital resources reproduced on the website visually complement the textual information and thus complete the learning experience. Fonts and illustrations are presented together with historically relevant contextual information, thus enhancing the learning experience. Together with a special transliterator that was made to directly translate user input text (in Latin alphabet) to "Bosančica" writing, it allows for a personalized and interactive experience.