atw: Re: Tell the U.S. Marines to Getz Tuft


Peter:

At Wednesday, 24/10/2007, 03:22 PM;, you wrote:
And so far the only study I have been able to find on what effect fonts and layout
have on actual comprehension (as opposed to the "chuntering" on aesthetic appearance
etc) has been an Australian one done years ago. by Colin Wheildon, and published
in various forms, but most comprehensively in "Type and Layout" (Strathmore Press,
1984, 86, 90,95 and 96 )

I have Tinker, Miles A, Legibility of print, Iowa State University Press, 1963, which indicates that size, measure (length of line), leading (additional space between lines), ink colour, and paper colour all influence legibility.  Frustratingly, he compared eight different serif faces (American Typewriter, Antique, Bodoni, Caslon, Cheltenham, Garamond, Old Style, Scotch Roman), a gothic (Cloister Black) and only one sans-serif (Kabel Light).  Most of the roman faces were rather ugly faces commonly used in newspapers.

His test method involved recording saccades, that is, number of stops per line, including retraces to reread words, overall time to read a passage, and surveys of reader preferences.  The summary of his findings with reference to type families are:

@       typefaces in common use are equally legible except where the letter forms
        diverge markedly from the norm, e.g. gothic, decorative faces, etc.

@       readers prefer a face which is slightly bold, that is, avoids very thin curves and lines
        (the most legible face was Garamond by measure but Cheltenham by reader
         preference)

@       if the lower half of a line is obliterated so that only the upper x-height and ascenders
        are visible, the most legible faces have distinctive letter forms that allow them to be
        readily recognised

@       although the sans-serif face Kabel Light was read as rapidly as the others,
        readers ranked it second-last (it is an "elegant" face with small x-height and
        extended ascenders and descenders -- think Vogue in the 1950s)

@       italic is read more slowly than upright faces

@       all-capital greatly retards speed of reading compared with lower-case and mixed case

@       bold is read as quickly as regular, but most readers prefer regular

@       mixed faces in a paragraph are read more slowly than homogeneous faces

@       speed of reading appears to be the clearest measure of legibility over visibility and
        perception at a distance

The most legible size was 11 point by measurement and preference, corresponding to the
median size used in 1500 academic journals, textbooks, and works of literature.  This is a
rather ambiguous measure as fonts that have the same size (i.e. body) are appear to be of
different sizez, particularly where the x-height varies substantially.

For 10 pt faces, the best ranges of measure was 17--27 picas set solid but 14--31 picas with
2 pt leading, that is, 10/12 pt.

Summing up: it's 11/12.5 pt Times Roman to 22 picas!  Gee, that Eric Gill knew a thing or two.
This result is confirmed by Wheildon.

Legibility of print is currently available in paperback for $US105 on Amazon (second-hand);
my hardback copy cost $A5.65 in 1964!

Reggaeds,
Hedley

--
Hedley Stewart Finger
28 Regent Street   Camberwell VIC 3124   Australia
Tel. +61 3 9809 1229   Mobile +61 412 461 558,
E-mail < mailto:hfinger@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
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