Legibility in typeface design for screen interfaces (original) (raw)

Legibility based on differentiation of characters: A review of empirical findings fundamental for the type design practice

The purpose of the study was to analyse findings in the field of the pattern recognition, visual word recognition and legibility ofgraphemes. The paper focuses on the most significant findings for comprehending the function of the graphemic characteristic during word and letter recognition. The aim of the study, as it is presented in the discussion part, was to analyse the factors which have induced inconsistencies between the findings acquired by confusion matrix, as well as to compare findings which continually lead type scholars to progression.

Typeface Legibility: Towards defining familiarity

2009

The aim of the project is to investigate the influence of fa- miliarity on reading. Three new fonts were created in order to examine the familiarity of fonts that readers could not have seen before. Each of the new fonts contains lowercase letters with fa- miliar and unfamiliar skeleton variations. The different skeleton variations were tested with distance threshold and time thresh- old methods in order to account for differences in visibility. This investigation helped create final typeface designs where the fa- miliar and unfamiliar skeleton variations have roughly similar and good performance. The typefaces were later applied as the test material in the familiarity investigation. Some typographers have proposed that familiarity means the amount of time that a reader has been exposed to a typeface design, while other typographers have proposed that familiarity is the commonalities in letterforms. These two hypotheses were tested by measuring the reading speed and preference of pa...

Principles of Typography for User Interface Design

Typography is a major part of the graphical user interface (GUI). Good user interface design depends on our understanding of how type works as a visual system. In this article, we summarize the typographic principles that were developed through print practice and show how they translate and expand within the electronic medium. We define typography as a dynamic system of contrasts resulting from the relationship of the type (its color, form, rhythm, and style) to its background. We then explain how to manipulate these contrasts to design effective GUI systems and presentations of text on the computer screen. We conclude by outlining the limitations and advantages of electronic type.

Legibility Investigation: Towards controlling typeface variables

One frequent problem in legibility investigations is that the tested typefaces vary on too many variables. In an investigation which compares typefaces that – at the same time – vary on letter width, weight, contrast and skeleton, it will be difficult to determine precisely why the findings come out as they do, and the external validity suffers. By applying a method of integrating design practice with academic research, I have designed a new typeface family that addresses this problem of multiple typographical variables. At its current stage, the typeface family Neutral Test has seven members. One is the master typeface; three of the remaining typefaces have one stylistic feature that differs from the master (skeleton, weight, and width); and three have two stylistic features that differ from the master (weight/skeleton, weight/contrast and weight/width). In an experimental investigation where the test material is based on the different members of Neutral Test, the researcher will thus be able to identify the specific stylistic feature that causes a given difference in performance.

Typeface Persona: A Review Study

Practitioners and scholarly researchers agree that different typefaces have different personas. Document design, which is largely dependent on the use of different typefaces, stems from the content of the verbal text and the purpose of the text is expressed through typography. In an age of electronic information set in microcosmic structure, possibilities we have come to face present freedom to modify and manipulate visual attributes of a ocument with software packages. This practice has given the opportunity to many untrained people to become publishers and active users of type and often times this practice is directed without understanding the principles of document design and the very notion of the intended perception of type’s persona. The relevance of typeface persona is an important aspect of technical or any other document that has its intended audience. Therefore, by choosing the appropriate typeface, communicators can determine the visual tone and character of the text. Thi...

Influence of typographic properties on user experience in digital interfaces

Estudos em Design, 2023

The user experience with products, services, and artifacts responds to different user needs and is affected by the design of the interface that mediates this interaction. In the context of digital interfaces, typography plays a significant role in the functionality and personality of the system, as actions and contents are conveyed to users through signs and symbols that inform and provide guidance and feedback. Given these relationships, this paper aimed to identify how different typographic properties are related to the satisfaction of user needs on user experience in digital interfaces. For that, a narrative literature review was conducted, followed by a systematization of the identified connections. As a result, it is proposed a diagram that presents the connections between five user needs – safety, functionality, usability, pleasurable experience, and individuation – and five properties of typography – accessibility, legibility, readability, personality, and customization – detailed in the context of the user experience in digital interfaces.

On systems and quality in typeface design

This text extends some ideas presented in a keynote lecture of the 5th Encontro de Tipografia conference, in Barcelos, Portugal, in November 2014. The paper discusses problems of identifying the location and encoding of design decisions, the implications of digital workflows for capturing knowledge generating through design practice, and the consequences of the transformation of production tools into commodities. It concludes with a discussion of the perception of added value in typeface design.

The Legibility of Cleartype Fonts

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 2006

This article introduces six new ClearType fonts developed by Microsoft. Legibility of two of the serif fonts, Cambria and Constantia, is compared to the traditional serif font Times New Roman. Results show that the legibility, as measured by the number of correct identifications of briefly presented characters, was highest for the new font Cambria, followed by Constantia, and then Times New Roman. Old style digits, such as 0,1, and 2, used in Constantia resulted in confusion with the letters o, l, and z. Times New Roman symbols were confused with both letters and other symbols.

A Typographic Dilemma: Reconciling the old with the new using a new cross-disciplinary typographic framework

Current theory and vocabulary used to describe typographic practice and scholarship are based on a historically print-derived framework. As yet, no new paradigm has emerged to address the divergent path that screen-based typography is taking from its traditional print medium. Screen-based typography is becoming as common and widely used as its print counterpart. It is now timely to re-evaluate current typographic references and practices under these environments, which introduces a new visual language and form. This paper will attempt to present an alternate typographic framework to address these growing changes by appropriating concepts and knowledge from different disciplines. This alternate typographic framework has been informed through a study conducted as part of a research Doctorate in the School of Design at Northumbria University, UK. This paper posits that the current typographic framework derived from the print medium is no longer sufficient to address the growing differences between the print and screen media. In its place, an alternate cross-disciplinary typographic framework should be adopted for the successful integration and application of typography in screen-based interactive media. The development of this framework will focus mainly on three key characteristics of screen-based interactive media – hypertext, interactivity and time-based motion – and will draw influences from disciplines such as film, computer gaming, interactive digital arts and hypertext fictions.

An Exploratory Study of Typeface through the Use of CAD Font List

Journal of Art, Design and Music, 2025

This study categorizes typefaces using the default font lists from various Computer Aided Design (CAD) software to provide students with foundational knowledge for lettering design. Having been conducted as a descriptive research, it enhances existing literature by focusing on educating students on the essentials of typeface selection. The research examines font lists from Microsoft Office Word, CorelDraw X5, CorelDraw 2020, Adobe Illustrator CS6, Adobe Photoshop CS6, Adobe Photoshop CS5, and LibreCAD Office 7.5, analyzing 28 typefaces displayed on a 12 by 7-inch screen with a resolution of 1366x768. The study involved ten male participants, aged 25 to 40, all with similar visual acuity tested without glasses. Findings highlight the importance of observation and classification in distinguishing similar-looking letterforms, emphasizing legibility and readability. The study notes that decorative typefaces have the lowest readability. Additionally, older versions of CorelDraw and Adobe Photoshop contain a broader range of typefaces, including many not found in newer versions, which only feature popular examples. These insights aim to familiarize students with the available typefaces in standard CAD software, thus aiding in idea generation for lettering design and reducing the need for extensive internet searches, particularly benefiting those affected by the digital divide.