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Article published In: Information Design Journal
Vol. 30:2 (2025) ► pp.1–

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Identification of headings in print and screen using typographic differentiation

ORCiD logo with link | University of Waikato
Published online: 19 January 2026
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/idj.25001.tim
Abstract
The clear structuring of text is important for assisting readers with understanding, searching and navigating a document. Headings are a key indicator of the structure of a text, but best practice to create visual hierarchy for headings needs to be better understood. This study compared seven typographic methods for emphasizing headings in both print and screen presentations using a paired comparison study to test which methods of typographic differentiation creates headings which are easiest to identify in text. This research found that headings with the greatest typographic weight are considered easiest to identify in both print and screen-based texts.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Visual presentation of headings
    • Weight
    • Italics
    • Spacing
    • Typeface
    • Capitalization
    • Size
  • Study method
    • Stimuli
    • Procedure
    • Sample
  • Results
  • Neutral choices
  • Discussion
    • Limitations
  • Conclusion
  • References
References (39)
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