Speech Bubble
A Speech Bubble, also known as a dialogue balloon or word balloon, is a visual element in manga (Japanese comics) that contains character dialogue or thoughts. It's a crucial storytelling tool that artists and letterers use to show who is speaking and how they're speaking in a comic panel. The shape, size, and style of speech bubbles can convey different meanings - for example, a jagged bubble might show shouting, while a cloud-like bubble often represents thoughts. Similar terms include word balloons, dialogue balloons, or text bubbles.
Examples in Resumes
Created and placed Speech Bubbles for over 200 manga pages using digital tools
Designed custom Speech Bubble styles for main character personalities in serialized manga
Supervised team of 3 letterers in Speech Bubble placement and text formatting
Typical job title: "Manga Letterers"
Also try searching for:
Where to Find Manga Letterers
Online Communities
Job Boards
Professional Networks
Example Interview Questions
Senior Level Questions
Q: How do you manage a team of letterers while maintaining consistency across a manga series?
Expected Answer: A senior letterer should discuss creating style guides, quality control processes, training junior staff, and maintaining efficient workflows while meeting deadlines.
Q: What considerations do you take into account when designing custom speech bubbles for different characters?
Expected Answer: Should explain how character personality, emotion, volume of speech, and overall manga style influence bubble design, plus mention experience leading such creative decisions.
Mid Level Questions
Q: How do you handle speech bubble placement in panels with limited space?
Expected Answer: Should discuss techniques for maintaining readability while working with space constraints, including bubble sizing, text formatting, and panel composition.
Q: What's your process for maintaining consistent speech bubble style throughout a manga?
Expected Answer: Should explain their system for tracking different bubble styles, using templates, and ensuring consistency across multiple pages and chapters.
Junior Level Questions
Q: What are the basic types of speech bubbles and when do you use them?
Expected Answer: Should identify standard dialogue bubbles, thought bubbles, shouting bubbles, and whisper bubbles, explaining basic usage of each type.
Q: How do you ensure speech bubbles are readable and flow well in a manga panel?
Expected Answer: Should discuss basic principles of bubble placement, text size, reading order, and not covering important artwork.
Experience Level Indicators
Junior (0-2 years)
- Basic speech bubble creation and placement
- Understanding of manga reading direction
- Simple digital lettering tools
- Basic text formatting
Mid (2-4 years)
- Custom speech bubble design
- Advanced digital lettering techniques
- Working with translation teams
- Layout problem-solving
Senior (4+ years)
- Team management and training
- Style guide creation
- Project workflow optimization
- Quality control processes
Red Flags to Watch For
- No knowledge of manga reading direction (right-to-left)
- Unfamiliarity with digital lettering tools
- Poor understanding of text formatting and readability
- No experience with deadline-driven projects
Related Terms
Need more hiring wisdom? Check these out...
Speak Up! How Voice Search Is Changing Job Listings and What HR Needs to Do About It
Forget Coding—Can You Communicate? Why Soft Skills are the New Hard Skills
Speak Their Language: How Localized Job Descriptions Unlock Regional Talent
