I actually found an article in the bookstore last night on different fonts! Who would have thought! The article (from a marketing text) explained why one should use Times New Roman. It said that the choice of typeface can affect a reader's comprehension. Roman letters are preferred by most readers because they are the most comprehended, and can be understood 92% if the time. A close second is sans serif at 90%. The least comprehended --anything close to cursive or script. Such letters are only understood between 37% and 26% if the time.
I just love statistics.
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4 comments:
I love statistics too, and I just love fonts. Times Roman rules for clarity, but Helvetica is a contemporary classic for signage and titles. They even made a documentary movie about it. Helvetica is fascinting even if you're not a designer, following the proliferation of the global visual culture and a look at how type affects our lives.
All the posts about fonts made me look up a quote I half-remembered from the fellow who invented Times New Roman (Stanley Morrison). He said the font would be "masculine, English, direct, simple, not more novel than it behoveth to be novel, or more novel than logic is novel in newspaper typography, and absolutely free from faddishness and frivolity."
Ever since I took a layout class in college I am always thinking about the readability of fonts and text blocks. I am going to look for that article.
I am a statistics institute student....
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