Two new typefaces consider issues faced by people with dyslexia

http://www.theontarion.com/2012/02/two-new-typefaces-consider-issues-faced-by-people-with-dyslexia/

The Ontarion - The university of Guelph's Independent student newspaper

Two new typefaces consider issues faced by people with dyslexia

VICTORIA BRUNET ON FEBRUARY 16, 2012 WITH 0 COMMENTS

Dyslexia is a genetic condition which creates difficulties with the alphabet, reading, writing, and spelling. Dyslexics often see letters as 3D figures, and rotate or reflect them. Words can appear washed out or run into each other with inappropriate breaks. Sometimes the page becomes visually distorted in a swirl.

Recently, new typefaces have been released called Dyslexie and Read Regular. Both seek to make each letter unique so it is clear and quickly recognizable.  This is done by starting with the most basic font, stripped of all serifs. Then the ascenders and descenders are elongated. Openings in letters are increased and certain letters are slightly slanted.

Dyslexie was created by a Netherlands graphic design company called Studiostudio by Christiaan Boer. In this font the bottoms of letters are bolded to give them the gravity to stay upright. All punctuation and capitals are also bolded so that the borders of sentences are easier to define.

Read Regular is a British typeface project. It experiments with changes in letter spacing and page alignment to combat the river effect. It is also looking into the contrast between letters and the page.

Tests conducted by the University of Twente conclude that although Dyslexie didn’t result in an increase of reading speed it did lead to a decrease in reading errors.

Most of the practical applications of new fonts have gone into printed media, like books. Studiostudio claims that their font is already being used by schools, speech therapists, and remedial teachers.

Slowly, fonts for dyslexics are making their way onto the web. Many, including Dyslexie, are pricey or restricted; however, new open source options are becoming available. A blogger for opensource.ca suggests using programs, like Font Forge, to create custom fonts based on the research already out there about dyslexic focused fonts. A custom font could allow the freedom to focus on individual difficulties and the creativity to explore how contrasting colors, for example, could aid reading/writing speed and comprehension.