Project R-14051

Improving legibility research through parametric typeface design (Research)

This project investigates how fonts can be parametrically decomposed, and how to employ this technique in the production of test materials within legibility research. Producing high-quality controlled font designs by means of parametric design allows future legibility research to better control two critical aspects of the experimental method: isolating causal factors and avoiding confounding variables. Legibility research has a wide range of important applications, such as effective signage, sensitive information on medical and food packaging, improving reading material for specific reading audiences (i.e., visually impaired readers, dyslexics). Yet current legibility research struggles with the question of exactly which typographic variables affect reading. Introducing design parameters that can be isolated and manipulated independently is the solution, but is often a timeconsuming task for designers and, above all, not for the scientist without design skills. This research hypothesizes that fonts can be designed parametrically in an accessible way by controlling them digitally (within a tool). Applying this technique within legibility research allows the impact of specific variables to be determined more precisely.

01 November 2023 - 31 October 2027