[Framers] Framers Digest, Vol 130, Issue 15

[Michael Lewis]

David's post leads to some interesting questions:

1. To what extent (if at all) does a reader's "preference" reflect 
"effectiveness", or comprehension?

2. It seems at least possible that fonts preferences vary according to 
the purpose of reading - information or entertainment. Has this been 
assessed?

3. To what extent is our ability to read, interpret, and understand a 
typeface shaped by the texts we were exposed to in childhood, when we 
were learning to read?

Key (old-ish) texts here are Karen Shriver's _Dynamics in Document 
Design_, where she reports only on reader preference (aesthetics rather 
than comprehension), and Colin Wheildon's _Type and Layout_, where he 
does assess comprehension and recall, though his methodology is flawed 
in some respects.

- Michael Lewis



On 2017-01-27 09:09, David Creamer wrote:
> My two cents...
> As far as readability, I read something a _long_ time ago that said in the
>
> United States, the reading preference (on hard copy) was split about
> 50/50--while in other countries, serif fonts still had the edge (about
> 80/20). That was due to the internet being more popular in the US at the
> time, so the other countries might be closer to the US percentage now. Of
> course, it is possible that the san serif preference could have surpassed
> the serif with younger readers too.
>