Introduction
In
this article, Mackiewicz discusses the various ways that readers interpret the
“personalities” evoked by various typefaces. She discusses the importance of
typeface selection for technical writing, as using a typeface that does not
match the mood one is trying to convey in a piece of writing can be detrimental
to its interpretation by the audience. Mackiewicz points out that although many
knowledgeable technical communicators and typeface designers acknowledge the
personalities that typefaces possess, the literature is lacking an empirical,
research-driven approach to gauging what typefaces evoke certain qualities. She
attempts to fill a gap in the research with her study, which incorporates the
use of surveys and other qualitative research methods.
Research Questions
Mackiewicz’s
study attempts to answer the following research questions:
1.
What personality attributes do various typefaces convey, according to study
participants’ assessments?
2.
Do typefaces assessed similarly for a particular attribute have any anatomical
features (i.e. physical characteristics) in common?
Analyzing Anatomical Features
Mackiewicz
sets up a survey that asks subjects to rate 15 different typefaces for their
“professionalism” and “friendliness” on a Likert scale. Her subjects included
62 undergraduate students, some freshman and some upperclassmen. She selects
the letters “Jagen” because they include particular anatomical features such as
single vs. double story letters (a, g), obvious serifs or lack thereof (n), and
a letter that extends below the baseline (J). She selects typefaces that range
from easily recognizable to fairly uncommon in a variety of styles. After
collecting the responses from the participants, she attempts to triangulate the
data by comparing what participants said about the fonts with what typographers
and technical writers have said. She found that certain anatomical features
could be related to ratings of “friendly,” such as imperfect letters (see
Bradley Hand), simplistic lines (Comic Sans), and roundness of letters (both
the above fonts). In contrast, attributes associated with fonts rated highest
for “professionalism” feature balanced terminals, moderate thick to thin
transition, moderate weight, and moderate proportion.
Results
Mackiewicz
acknowledges some pitfalls to her study, but claims that overall it offers
technical writers a research-driven method for assessing what fonts are
appropriate for certain documents. She encourages writers, based on the results
of her study, to explore more interesting and out-of-the-box fonts with
confidence. Her study offers an extension to personal preference or intuition
method that is often used in font selection, and gives technical communicators
a methodology for choosing typefaces to fit the tone of their documents.
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