Design Principles - Legibility and Readability Task

For this preparatory task we were required to identify what sizes various typefaces were most readable at as in some cases a larger font isn't always the most readable.

Optima

A typeface as simple as Optima doesn't necessarily need to be very large to become readable as it is already very easy to identify the letter forms and words. I kept this at 24 pt and even that size it might not need to be depending on the context.

Stencil:

Since Stencil is a block font it is considered ideal for headings and headlines, and simple doesn't work here at 12 pt. It is all in upper case and so when in a small font they are all compressed. Similarly, in this compression many letters within the typeface lose their characteristics.

I chose 42 pt for this typeface as the characteristics already demand enough attention by the reader for it to need to fill up more of the page.

Zapfino:

Although in comparison to many other script typefaces I find Zapfino to be one of the most legible, and while it still is decipherable at this size (12 pt), it would benefit from being larger, as readers won't be required to spend as much time working it out as they otherwise would. I chose to show it in 30 pt but found that in spit of it's size, the nature of the overlapping letterforms are what makes this type more difficult to read.

Thonburi:

A basic sans serif type like this would be perfect for body copy, it's regular format is already very light and the fluidity of the line makes it very easy to follow. Here in 12 pt it would work as body copy but to stand on it's own it does need to be a little larger.

I enlarged the font to 20 pt here to make it easier for this sentence to stand alone, but I tried to still keep it small as I wanted to exaggerate the readability of the type regardless of it's size.

Lucida Sans Typewriter:

The spacing on this typeface can be quite abrupt and confusing for the reader and combined with the promenant serif on each letter, it all appears quite jumpy and unsettling. Here in 12 pt, it's already a struggle to read in terms of size and isn't helped by the type itself.

I enlarged it to 24 pt and I think the difference is huge, in spite of it's style, the size allows for each letter to stand on it's own making it appear more legible as a whole.