Legibility

Black letter in a Latin Bible of 1407 AD, in Malmesbury Abbey, Wiltshire. Most people find this difficult to read

Most people find this kind of modern design easier to read

Legibility is the degree to which writing can be seen and read.^[1] Each glyph (individual character) in text has a shape we recognize in reading. The complete set of letters and symbols in a design is called a font (or fount). The choice of font is therefore the first thing which affects legibility.

A second factor in legibility is the setting, the way the type is used in practice. This includes line length, line spacing ("leading"), justification, typestyle, kerning, tracking, point size, etc.^[2]^[3]

↑ Tinker M.A. 1963. Legibility of print. Iowa State University Press. ISBN 0-8138-2450-8
↑ Williamson, Hugh 1956. Methods of book design: the practice of an industrial craft. Oxford University Press
↑ Aldrich-Ruenzel N. & Fennell J. 1991. Designer's guide to typography. Oxford: Phaidon. ISBN 0-7148-2706-1

[1] Tinker M.A. 1963. Legibility of print. Iowa State University Press. ISBN 0-8138-2450-8

[2] Williamson, Hugh 1956. Methods of book design: the practice of an industrial craft. Oxford University Press

[3] Aldrich-Ruenzel N. & Fennell J. 1991. Designer's guide to typography. Oxford: Phaidon. ISBN 0-7148-2706-1

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