In order to continue the discussion from my previous blog on designing to communicate, we need to familiarise ourselves with the difference between legibility and readability.
It would be appropriate to start off by discussing the difference between a font and a typeface. In the words of Erik Spiekermann “I design typeface and you use fonts.” To simplify, a typeface is the design of letters whilst a font, as he goes on to say is the “physical embodiment in a digital environment.” (Spiekermann, 2014)
So what exactly is legibility and readability? Up until now I’ve interchanged these words, however they are two distinct elements. I have chosen to explain the difference between font and a typeface because legibility is closely related to the design of letters. In fact if these letters are designed in a way that they could be easily understood, then they are said to be legible.
Subsequently, readability is the power that engages a readers’ interest. In essence, telling one letter apart from the other is legibility whilst, the ease to absorb a message is readability. Good use of typography reduces the effort required to read, making the reader unaware that the type is even present allowing the viewer to fully understand the meaning behind the words.
There are six aspects of typography that affect its readability which will be discussed in a future blog post. Now that I have explained the difference between legibility and readability and no longer need to interchange the two words, I may comfortably discuss the different approaches which designers have used to communicate with their audience.
In my previous blog I discussed whether type has to be legible in order to communicate. Californian designer David Carson is of the opinion that, “Just because something is legible doesn’t mean it communicates and, more importantly, doesn’t mean it communicates the right thing.” (Carson, 2003)
Sometimes when shown a particular design that makes use of typography, the viewer is not always able to read what is being shown to them, yet eventually still succeeds to decipher letterforms. Just because one is able to make out the shape of these letterforms and visually detect them, does not mean that the intended message is being communicated.
Sometimes the way typography is manipulated and used does not imply that the designer wanted it to be legible, and this is what I believe Carson was trying to express.
With the above statement, Carson believes that any design which packed with enough visual emotion, can attract and engage a reader much better than if the same design offered a clear legible image with no visual appeal. So although a piece of work might be illegible Carson feels that the designer may still successfully be able to deliver his message across.
It cannot be denied that Carson’s work is full of powerful messages. Some of which are legible, some of which are not, but all do deliver a message. We are surrounded by a growing idea that everything we visually witness must be clear and legible in order for us to understand what the designer intended. Yet designers such as Carson believe that as long as the design is appealing to the audience and communicates the intended message, than it makes no difference whether the design is legible or not.
 |
| Legibility vs. Communication D&AD projects to produce two posters advertising a lecture with the subject "Does type have to be legible to communicate? Second Sea produced one legible poster, and one more visually appealing poster. |
References:
Bradley, Steven. 2010. Legibility And Readability In Typographic Design. [ONLINE] Available at: http://vanseodesign.com/web-design/legible-readable-typography/. [Accessed 28 November 2015].
David Carson: Design and discovery. 2003 [Video] California: Ted Talks (A talk by David Carson)
Helvetica. 2007. [Video] USA: Veer, Swiss Dots. (Portland Documentary and Experimental Film Festival.)
Second Sea. 2013. Legibility vs Communicatio. [ONLINE] Available at: http://cargocollective.com/secondsea/LEGIBILITY-VS-COMMUNICATION. [Accessed 28 November 2015].
Type is a visible language, 2014. [Video] Düsseldorf: Beyond Tellerrand (A talk by Erik Spiekermann)
No comments:
Post a Comment