» Legible?

«
Suddenly LEGIBILITY IS considerably less legible than
UNDER SIEGE. WHILE words set in lower case. Italics
PRINTED TEXT, JUST LIKE are also less legible and bold
GOD. HAS BEEN type can work, provided the inner
DECLARED DEAD A FEW spaces of the letters are clearly
TIMES, LEGIBILITY, UNTIL visible. Medium bold is very
RECENTLY, WAS STILL legible. Many readers prefer a
CONSIDERED SACRED. text set in medium bold." THE
HOWEVER, DURING THE LAST CHAPTER OF THIS
PAST FEW YEARS, MANY BOOK SHOWS ATTEMPTS AT
DOUBTS HAVE SURFACED. CREATING COMPLETELY NEW
IN TRADE MAGAZINES, LETTER SHAPES.
PANEL DISCUSSIONS AND SINCE [968 SEVERAL
IN THE HALLOWED HALLS ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATIONS
OF GRAPHIC DESIGN, NEW HAVE BEEN PERFORMED,
INTERPRETATIONS OF BUT THE RESULTS HAVE
LEGIBILITY ARE BEING ADDED LITTLE TO WHAT
CONSIDERED. WIM SPENCER HAD ALREADY
CROUWEL (graphic designer SCRAPED TOGETHER. THEY
and director of the Museum OFFER NO SHOCKING
Boymans-van Beuningen) CONCLUSIONS THAT WOULD
WAS RECENTLY QUOTED LEAD DESIGNERS TO
AS SAYING THAT PERMANENTLY RENOUNCE
EVERYTHING WE KNEW CERTAIN TYPEFACES OR TO
ABOUT LEGIBILITY ACCEPT ONE PARTICULAR
TWENTY YEARS AGO IS TYPOGRAPHIC
NOW INVALID BECAUSE ARRANGEMENT AS THE ONLY
THE NOTION OF CORRECT ONE. THE RULES
LEGIBILITY HAS BEEN THAT MICHELE-ANNE DAUPPE
STRETCHED SO MUCH REFERS TO, IN FACT, DO NOT
SINCE THAT TIME. WE ARE EXIST.
INUNDATED WITH SO YET RULES FOR LEGIBILITY
MANY DIFFERENT TEXTS CONTINUE TO PROLIFERATE.
IN SUCH VARIED FOR INSTANCE, EFFORTS
MANIFESTATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE TO
WE HAVE BECOME USED
AMBIGUOUS STATEMENTS DOGMAS AND SLOGANS.
HAD DISAPPEARED. THE AGAINST WHAT OR WHOM
IDEAL SANS SERIF WAS DO THOSE WHO DEMAND
NOT THERE YET, BUT PAUL CHANGE TODAY DIRECT
RENNER'S FUTURA WAS A THEMSELVES? THE ONLY
STEP IN THE RIGHT THING THAT SEEMS
DIRECTION AND NO NECESSARY IS TO USE
MENTION OF SERIFS WAS THOSE AGREEMENTS
HEARD AGAIN. AGAIN IN A REASONABLE
DURING THOSE THREE AND RELAXED MANNER.
YEARS, BETWEEN 1925 IN NUMEROUS
AND 1928, TSCHICHOLD TYPOGRAPHIC WORKS,
HAD NOT PERFORMED THE CONCERN WITH
ANY SCIENTIFIC LEGIBILITY IS TAKEN WITH
RESEARCH THAT FORCED A GRAIN OF SALT. THERE
HIM TO ADJUST HIS SEEMS TO BE MORE
OPINION OF 1925. HIS FREEDOM THAN IN THE
PREFERENCE FOR SANS 17TH, 18TH OR 19TH
SERIFS, AND HIS OPINION CENTURY.
THAT THEY WERE QUITE
LEGIBLE AND MORE in 1948, THE SAME JAN
LEGIBLE THAN TSCHICHOLD WHO WAS
TYPEFACES WITH SERIFS, QUOTED BEFORE, WROTE
WERE BASED UPON IN AN ESSAY TITLED Ton in
EMOTIONAL des Töppers Hand (Clay in
CONSIDERATIONS. THEY the Potter's Hand): "Personal
WERE BASED ON THE typography is faulty
DESIRE TO BE MODERN typography. Only beginners
AND IN 1928 TSCHICHOLD and fools will pursue it. I..| As
MUST HAVE FELT MORE typography addresses
MODERN AND MORE everyone, it leaves no room
CERTAIN OF HIS OPINIONS for revolutionary change. We
THAN IN 1925. cannot even fundamentally
IN THAT RESPECT, change one single letter form
NOTHING HAS CHANGED. without destroying the
THE RECENT typeset representation of our
HOWEVER, THE PATH HIM GLASSES ARE BEING
DIDN'T RUN THIS NARROW. WASHED AND FILLED. HE
in Ty p G, PUBLISHED IN QUICKLY LOOKS AROUND
JUNE 1991, MAX KISMAN FROM ACROSS HIS
WRITES: "The institution of READING GLASSES AND
the letter will be abolished. THEN READS ON.
The power will be defeated.
Since their digital The culture PHILOSOPHER
manifestation, letters have GEORGE STEINER
been outlawed. The prevailing PRESENTED A LECTURE IN
conceptions have lost their EARLY 1990 ABOUT THE
value. Graphic design is a fake FUTURE OF READING. HE
and aesthetic-based page LIMITED HIMSELF TO
filler. BOOKS AND CLASSICAL
Graphic design and LITERATURE IN
typography will be banned." PARTICULAR. SILENCE, HE
HE ADDS: "The printed BELIEVES, IS ONE OF THE
message is old-fashioned and MOST IMPORTANT
of the past." WE WILL CONDITIONS FOR
FORGIVE HIM THIS LATTER CAREFUL READING. AND
NONSENSE. HOWEVER, I SILENCE IS A
DO AGREE WITH KISMAN DISAPPEARING CULTURAL
THAT THERE IS FREQUENT COMMODITY. THERE IS
EVIDENCE OF EVEN A GROWING NEED
SUPERFICIALITY AND THAT FOR NOISE OUT OF FEAR
MUCH DESIGN ONLY OF LONELINESS,
DRAWS ATTENTION TO THE ACCORDING TO STEINER.
WORK OF THE DESIGNER HE IS NOT THE ONLY
NARCISSISTIC DESIGN PERSON SUBSCRIBING TO
WITHOUT RESPECT FOR SUCH A PESSIMISTIC
EITHER THE AUTHORS OR VIEW. FOR MANY, THE
READERS, ARE THOSE DECLINING SALES OF
STRIKING NEW TYPEFACES BOOKS IMPLIES THAT IT IS
PRODUCED TO OFFER THE NOT GOING WELL WITH
READERS MORE PLEASURE READING. AT HIGH
CAN TURN ON AND OFF AT START TALKING ABOUT
WILL, AND THAT READING IS DESIGNING WITH PASSION.
ALL ABOUT GATHERING DRY DOESN'T THAT IMPLY THAT
INFORMATION. SUCH DESIGNERS WANT TO BE
RESEARCH TELLS YOU NOTICED AND THAT THEY
LITTLE ABOUT THE NEED TO PRODUCE STRIKING OR
READ AND THE PLEASURES EVEN FLIRTATIOUS
AND INTIMACY OF READING. PRODUCTS? TOGETHER
ALSO NOT TOUCHED UPON WITH THIS DISAPPEARING
IS READING AS A WAY TO ACT.
ESCAPE REALITY AND TO DON'T WE NEED THE
ENGULF YOURSELF IN OFTEN PRAISED INVISIBLE
OTHER PEOPLE'S TYPOGRAPHY? THIS IS A
REALITIES. NOBLE PRINCIPLE,
THERE ARE MANY DERIVED FROM BOOK
DIFFERENT WAYS OF TYPOGRAPHY, WHICH
READING, TIED TO RATHER PREACHES RESPECT FOR
VARIED READING OBJECTS. BOTH AUTHOR AND
YOU CAN READ TO READER. BOOK
RESEARCH. READ TO TYPOGRAPHERS FULFILL A
STUDY, READ TO BE SUBSERVIENT TASK THAT
INFORMED OR READ TO RESTRAINS THEM FROM
RELAX. SOMETIMES YOU MANIFESTING
LOOK MORE THAN YOU THEMSELVES AND
READ, SOMETIMES YOU POSITIONING THEMSELVES
READ JUST A BIT, OR WITH BETWEEN AUTHOR AND
INTERRUPTIONS, AND THEN READER. CRAFTSMANSHIP
YOU READ FOR A WHILE YES, ARTISTRY, NO.
AGAIN. TELEPHONE
DIRECTORIES AND According to MORISON'S
DICTIONARIES YOU First Principles of Typography,
OBVIOUSLY READ THIS IS THE WAY TO DO IT.
DIFFERENTLY THAN THE ACTUALLY. THE NOTION OF
NEWSPAPER, AND A NOVEL, INVISIBLE TYPOGRAPHY IS
TOO, DEMANDS TO BE BEST VERBALIZED BY
READ IN ITS OWN MORISON'S FRIEND
LEADS ONE TO BELIEVE SHAPES PERHAPS OPEN
THAT MORISON'S TO SOME ALTERATIONS?
PRINCIPLES SOUND GOOD THIS IS HOW TWO
BUT DON'T CONNECT CONVERSE QUALITIES
WITH REALITY. TO FIND ARE UNITED WITHIN
OUT IF THIS CONCLUSION
IS CORRECT CAN BE SEEN
UPON CLOSER
INSPECTION OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT
TYPOGRAPHIC
INGREDIENT: THE LETTER.

invisible typefaces DO NOT