Cover not available

Article published In: Information Design Journal
Vol. 29:1 (2024) ► pp.25–35

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload PDF
EPUB logo with download linkDownload EPUB
authorization required

Script-style degrees

Letter recognition in regular versus special fonts

ORCiD logo with link | Royal Danish Academy – Architecture, Design, Conservation
ORCiD logo with link | Royal Danish Academy – Architecture, Design, Conservation
Published online: 24 May 2024
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/idj.22021.ode
Abstract
Previous work has shown that letters presented in special fonts with a high degree of script style have a poor recognition rate. We investigated whether there is a breaking point where this deficit sets in. In an experimental paradigm using a three-letter string partial report, 32 participants were presented with test stimuli of four new fonts with gradually increasing script style. The results of our investigation showed that each level of increasing script style resulted in significantly worse recognition. These findings demonstrate that for maximum letter recognition, the font style should be based on simple and familiar letter skeletons.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Font legibility
    • 1.2Reading models
    • 1.3Objectives
  • 2.The experiment: Trigram partial report
    • 2.1Participants
    • 2.2Stimuli
    • 2.3Apparatus
    • 2.4Task
    • 2.5Adaptive staircase Procedure
    • 2.6Procedure
    • 2.7Results
  • 3.Discussion
    • 3.1Impaired recognition
    • 3.2Text as image
    • 3.3Limitations
  • 4.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
References (44)
References
Beier, S. (2017). Type Tricks: Your personal guide to type design. BIS Publishers.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Beier, S., Bernard, J. B., & Castet, E. (2018). Numeral legibility and visual complexity. DRS Design Research Society. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Beier, S., & Oderkerk, C. A. (2022). Closed letter counters impair recognition. Applied Ergonomics, 1011, 103709. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Beier, S., & Oderkerk, C. A. T. (2021). High letter stroke contrast impairs letter recognition of bold fonts. Applied Ergonomics, 971. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Beier, S., Sand, K., & Starrfelt, R. (2017). Legibility Implications of Embellished Display Typefaces. Visible Language, 51(1), 112–133.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bernard, J. B., & Chung, S. T. (2011). The dependence of crowding on flanker complexity and target–flanker similarity. Journal of Vision, 11(8), 1–16. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Brumberger, E. R. (2003). The rhetoric of typography: The persona of typeface and text. Technical Communication, 50(2), 206–223. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Celhay, F., Boysselle, J., & Cohen, J. (2015). Food packages and communication through typeface design: The exoticism of exotypes. Food Quality and Preference, 391, 167–175. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chanceaux, M., Mathôt, S., & Grainger, J. (2014). Effects of number, complexity, and familiarity of flankers on crowded letter identification. Journal of Vision, 14(6), 7–7. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Childers, T. L., & Jass, J. (2002). All Dressed Up With Something to Say: Effects of Typeface Semantic Associations on Brand Perceptions and Consumer Memory. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 12(2), 93–106. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Choi, S., Yamasaki, T., & Aizawa, K. (2016). Typeface Emotion Analysis for Communication on Mobile Messengers. Proceedings of the 1st International Workshop on Multimedia Alternate Realities – AltMM ’16, 37–40. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chu, X. Y. M., Tok, D., & Gui, J. J. (2021). Why Not Set Pen to Paper? How Typeface Design Influence Charitable Behaviors. ACR North American Advances.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dai, Y. (2021). Comparison of Emphasis Point Towards Marketing Strategies Between Pepsi & Coca-Cola: 6th International Conference on Financial Innovation and Economic Development (ICFIED 2021), Sanya, China.
Dehaene, S. (2009). Reading in the brain: The science and evolution of a human invention. Viking New York.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Doyle, J. R., & Bottomley, P. A. (2004). Font appropriateness and brand choice. Journal of Business Research, 57(8), 873–880. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fiset, D., Blais, C., Ethier-Majcher, C., Arguin, M., Bub, D., & Gosselin, F. (2008). Features for identification of uppercase and lowercase letters. Psychological Science, 19(11), 1161–1168. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Grohmann, B., Giese, J. L., & Parkman, I. D. (2013). Using type font characteristics to communicate brand personality of new brands. Journal of Brand Management, 20(5), 389–403. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hudson, J. (2016). Introducing OpenType Variable Fonts. Medium. [URL]
Izadi, A., & Patrick, V. M. (2020). The power of the pen: Handwritten fonts promote haptic engagement. Psychology & Marketing, 37(8), 1082–1100. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Keage, H. A., Coussens, S., Kohler, M., Thiessen, M., & Churches, O. F. (2014). Investigating letter recognition in the brain by varying typeface: An event-related potential study. Brain and Cognition, 881, 83–89. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kesten, H. (1958). Accelerated stochastic approximation. The Annals of Mathematical Statistics, 29(1), 41–59. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kim, M. J., & Lim, J. H. (2019). A comprehensive review on logo literature: Research topics, findings, and future directions. Journal of Marketing Management, 35(13–14), 1291–1365. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kulahcioglu, T., & de Melo, G. (2018). Predicting Semantic Signatures of Fonts. 2018 IEEE 12th International Conference on Semantic Computing (ICSC), 115–122. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lanthier, S. N., Risko, E. F., Stolz, J. A., & Besner, D. (2009). Not all visual features are created equal: Early processing in letter and word recognition. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 16(1), 67–73. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mathôt, S., Schreij, D., & Theeuwes, J. (2012). OpenSesame: An open-source, graphical experiment builder for the social sciences. Behavior Research Methods, 44(2), 314–324. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mirchandani, S., Zheng, L., & Gong, J. (2018). Typeface Semantic Attribute Prediction from Rasterized Font Representations. 61.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Park, J., Velasco, C., & Spence, C. (2022). “Looking sharp”: Price typeface influences awareness of spending in mobile payment. Psychology & Marketing, 39(6), 1170–1189. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pelli, D. G., Burns, C. W., Farell, B., & Moore-Page, D. C. (2006). Feature detection and letter identification. Vision Research, 46(28), 4646–4674. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pelli, D. G., & Tillman, K. A. (2007). Parts, wholes, and context in reading: A triple dissociation. Plos One, 2(8), e680.
Petit, J. P., & Grainger, J. (2002). Masked partial priming of letter perception. Visual Cognition, 9(3), 337–353. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Puškarević, I., Nedeljković, U., Dimovski, V., & Možina, K. (2016). An eye tracking study of attention to print advertisements: Effects of typeface figuration. Journal of Eye Movement Research, 9(5). Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Reichle, E. D. (2020). Computational models of reading: A handbook. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ren, X., Xia, L., & Du, J. (2018). Delivering warmth by hand: Customer responses to different formats of written communication. Journal of Services Marketing, 32(2), 223–234. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Rosa, E., Perea, M., & Enneson, P. (2016). The role of letter features in visual-word recognition: Evidence from a delayed segment technique. Acta Psychologica, 1691, 133–142. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Schroll, R., Schnurr, B., & Grewal, D. (2018). Humanizing Products with Handwritten Typefaces. Journal of Consumer Research. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Thiessen, M., Beier, S., & Keage, H. (2020). A Review of the Cognitive Effects of Disfluent Typography on Functional Reading. The Design Journal, 23(5), 797–815. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Thiessen, M., Keage, H., Hwang, I., Astley, J., & Beier, S. (2022). Effect of typeface complexity on automatic whole word reading processes. Visible Language.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Thiessen, M., Kohler, M., Churches, O., Coussens, S., & Keage, H. (2015). Brainy Type: A look at how the brain processes typographic information. Visible Language, 49(1/2), 175.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Tinker, M. A. (1963). Legibility of Print. Iowa State University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Treutwein, B. (1995). Adaptive psychophysical procedures. Vision Research, 35(17), 2503–2522. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wang, H., He, X., & Legge, G. E. (2014). Effect of pattern complexity on the visual span for Chinese and alphabet characters. Journal of Vision, 14(8), 6–6. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wu, R., Han, X., & Kardes, F. R. (2021). Special fonts: The competing roles of difficulty and uniqueness in consumer inference. Psychology & Marketing, 38(1), 86–100. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Xiong, Y. Z., Lorsung, E. A., Mansfield, J. S., Bigelow, C., & Legge, G. E. (2018). Fonts Designed for Macular Degeneration: Impact on Reading. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 59(10), 4182–4189. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Žarko, J., & Nedeljković, U. (2020). The effect of controlling the weight variable on the typeface attribute assessment. Proceedings – The Tenth International Symposium GRID 2020, 707–717. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cited by (1)

Cited by one other publication

Beier, Sofie & Myra Thiessen
2025. Applying cognitive and perceptual science to typeface choices. Ergonomics ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 11 december 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue