Typography Ch.3: Legibility

How is legibility achieved?

Controlling the qualities & attributes in letterforms

What is the primary purpose of a letter form?

Convey a recognizable meaning to the mind

What are the three qualities upon which legibility is dependent?

Contrast, Simplicity, and Proportion

What is the primary quality that makes it possible for the reader to decipher written information?

Contrast among individual characters

Upon what is a designer's knowledge of legibility based?

Legacy of typographic history and keen awareness of how we engage w/ text as readers & users

What are the four groups into which letters can be clustered?

Vertical, Curved, Combination of Vertical & Curved, & Oblique

What part of the letter form provides the most visual cues for recognition?

Upper half (top)

Which provides more cues: the left or the right side of the letter form?

Right

Dominant letters that aid in word recognition are those that have:

Ascenders or descenders

What letters are most frequently used, but are among the most illegible?

A E I O U

What four letters are easily missed?

C G S X

What five letters are easily mistaken for each other?

F I J L T

Upon what is the perception of a letter based?

Form/Counter-form Relationship

What are two things that perhaps make serif type more legible than sans serif?

1) Reinforce the horizontal flow of each line 2) More character definition

What do you really read, letters or shapes of words?

Shapes

What are two important factors involved in the reading process?

Word shape and internal pattern

What do counterforms create?

Internal word patterns

This is vital to word recognition and influence an adequate internal pattern

Weight of letters

Why not set blocks of copy in all capitals?

Suffers loss of legibility and takes up space

Typographic texture and tone are affected by this. It has a significant impact on legibility.

Spacing of letterforms

What is the Triadic relationship of type? Properly used, this relationship can improve legibility.

Type size, line length, line spacing

What are the most legible point sizes for text?

9-12 for print 12-16 for screen

What is a fixation pause and when do you need to use it?

Occurs when the eye stops on a line of type during reading, actually perceiving the meaning of groups of words. Use when type size is larger than 12 point

Line length is dependent upon both of these:

Size of type and amount of space between lines

What are two example of audiences that need larger type sizes for reading?

Children learning to read & people with poor eye sight

Why is appropriate line length essential?

For achieving a pleasant reading rhythm

What is the rule for number of words per line to determine line length?

10-12 words

What is the optimum line length for 10 point type?

19 picas

As the column measure increases, this should also increase

Linespacing

What is the maximum line length for text with a large x-height used without adequate line spacing?

52 characters

What is the key important thing to remember when setting type using color?

Appropriate contrast between type color and background

Why not use highly saturated colors for both type and background?

Creates effect of vibration which tires the eyes

What are "analogous" colors?

Next to each other/in close proximity on the color wheel

What is important about size vs color?

Smaller sizes of type require background that are significantly different in the hue/value

If you do set a large amount of type in a color on any background, what should you remember to do?

Increase space between lines slightly

What about type on/over photographs?

Interfere with internal patterns of words & their distinctive word shapes

What type of justification promotes the greatest legibility?

Flush left rag right

What is a major problem created with justified type?

Lacks visual cues that promote easy reading

What is meant by a thought-unit

Arranges lines into discrete parts related to the meaning of text

What is the purpose of paragraph indents and space between paragraphs? Do you need both?

Distinguish typographically one thought from another clarity content and increase reader comprehension. No you do not need both

What is important about setting type in paths?

Carefully spacing the letters & choosing an appropriate typeface

What is important to remember about type on a screen?

For max legibility type must render well & should be chosen for its visual contrast

What are two techniques type designers use to improve type legibility on screen?

Antialiasing and hinting

Do San serif or serif typefaces usually work best for on-screen reading? Why?

Sans serif because they are generally simpler

How many typefaces should you combine for on-screen pages?

2-3

When may all cap type be used effectively on screen?

When creating emphasis and visual elegance

How should you space letters and words for on-screen pages?

Increased and proportionally adjusted slightly more spatial separation

Why is the optimal number of characters per like when scanning websites?

60-75

What is the optimal number of characters per line when scanning smartphone apps?

35-50

What is the most legible alignment to use for legibility on screen?

Flush left rag right

What should a designer use to break uniformity and accentuate units of text?

White space

What type color choice is very difficult to read and causes eye strain and may cause some readers to experience latent images?

White body on dark/black background

What is the maximum like length for text with a small x-height?

65 characters