Factors of Legibility: Chapter 3 Reflection

In Chapter 3, we begin to explore the idea of legibility. Typographic legibility is achieved when the

message is communicate effectively and objectively. However, several factors contribute to the overall legibility of a work, including color, size, weight, spacing and much more. In order to better understand how legible type is created, we have to first take a closer look at the characteristics that distinguish each letterform. In the book, an interest example they use is a dancer. This example signifies how, like the beauty of dancing, letterforms are both their forms and counter forms—the space the take up and the space they don’t. Dancer, like letters, manipulate their forms to define space.

Another section that I thought was particularly interesting was “Legibility and color”. In this subheading, we explore how colored backgrounds and type effect legibility and our perception of type. When adding color to hue, tone, value, and saturation to achieve the most effective and legible type.

typography, the designer must pay attention to

Finally, the book discusses the new challenges presented to typographers in the digital age. The technological era offers designer a myriad of options to manipulate type, as well an endless number of typefaces to choose

from. With these new options, designers can be even more selective in the exact method their type communicates its message. I though the example of typographic experimentation they provided here was interesting and certainly illustrates the versatility offered by contemporary software.

At the start of the chapter, the book stresses that legibility is not just an important aspect of type, but the “responsibility” of the designer to their audience to communicate their message appropriately.