SANJIESAN LORE / Writing systems
Separate an invented script from the language it writes
A new-looking alphabet does not by itself create a new language. Unicode’s basic FAQ distinguishes writing systems from the languages written with them. For a fictional inscription, keep that distinction in the art brief so a change of letter shapes does not accidentally rewrite what a sign says.
Write what the inscription means first
Choose a short invented notice with a clear role: a workshop name, a directional sign or an ownership mark. Write the intended meaning in ordinary language, then decide which fictional language expresses it and which script appears on the object. These are three decisions, not three names for the same thing. If the project only needs decorative marks with no assigned reading, say so instead of pretending they already encode a developed language.
Keep the translation beside the visual
Create one reference strip containing the approved meaning, the chosen written sequence and the object view. If the lettering is mirrored, abbreviated or partly damaged for the scene, mark that change explicitly. A texture artist should not have to invent missing text from appearance alone. Likewise, a translator should not be expected to infer a complete grammar from a few attractive symbols on a prop.
Change the medium without changing the message
Draw the same short inscription carved in stone and brushed on a cloth banner. Decide which features change because of the tool and surface, and which distinguish one sign from another. Then place the two versions side by side without their translations. If you can no longer match the intended sequence, simplify or clarify the design. A convincing material treatment should not erase the relationship between the written forms.