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ABSTRACT
This paper introduces scientific research findings and accounts of skilled design judgement to: (i) develop an interdisciplinary account of what affects our identification of letters when reading; (ii) analyse the relationship between the approaches of psychologists and designers to explaining how we identify letters; (iii) propose ways in which collaboration may work to make psychological research more relevant to typographic practice. The topics reviewed are addressed within each discipline and cover the contribution of letters and words to reading; letter features; essential or structural forms; uniformity within font design; and letter spacing. Analysis of the literature identifies possible means of reconciling different perspectives, points out some anomalies in interpretation of findings and proposes how designers may contribute to research planning and dissemination.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Mary C. Dyson
Mary Dyson is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Typography & Graphic Communication at the University of Reading. She has a background in experimental psychology and her teaching and research lie at the interface between design and scientific approaches. She is currently working on how designers perceive visual material through exploring the perception of typefaces by designers, and also looking at how readers more generally make use of typefaces in reading.
