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> "Having the serifs on makes things more difficult to read, there's more for the eye to take on," says Steel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serif#Readability_
by jimothyhalpert7 11y ago
> "Having the serifs on makes things more difficult to read, there's more for the eye to take on," says Steel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serif#Readability_and_legibility https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serif#Readability_and_legibili...
> Serifed fonts are widely used for body text because they are considered easier to read than sans-serif fonts in print. However, scientific study on this topic has been inconclusive.
- red_admiral 11y agoI don't think that's a contradiction - I'd guess that sans serif is indeed much easier to read specifically on signs. When the UK designed its road/motorway signs they conducted all kinds of usability studies and ended up designing the Transport typeface; just about any country I've been to in Europe uses sans typefaces for roadsigns and station/tube/airport signs. The jury may well still be out for body text in books and other publications. That's not the problem Johnston was asked to solve though.
- theandrewbailey 11y agoThe US (and most of North America, it seems) also use sans serif road signs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway_Gothic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway_Gothic
- chris_st 11y ago> However, scientific study on this topic has been inconclusive. I remember reading of a study comparison that found that in the USA, where serif fonts are the norm, that serif fonts are more legible. In Europe, where sans-serif if more common, sans-serif was found to be more legible. So, yeah, you get good at what you practice.