Desktop publishing is composed of a few basic things: Text, white space, images, and (one could argue) other graphical layout tools like lines and borders and similar elements. Everything else is just icing on the cake, really – even if computers stopped working tomorrow, we could still design excellent pages using just ink and paper or anything else.
That’s why fonts are so crucial to desktop publishing. They’re arguably one-fourth of the total package and since they deliver most of the actual information, they’re arguably the most important aspect of any desktop publishing. Designers already choose fonts for their look, their effect, and their readability – but what if fonts could do more than that? What if they could actually help people with a disability?
OpenDyslexic and Desktop Publishing
We already use fonts to assist people who have trouble reading: It’s called Large Print, and books are published using it every day. The Internet has allowed anyone with fading eyesight to increase the size of the font on their screen so it’s more readable. Now a designer named Abelardo (Abbie) Gonzalez has released a font named OpenDyslexic that supposedly takes this concept one step further.
The font, available for free (http://opendyslexic.org/author/antijingoist/) to anyone with only an attribution requirement, is designed to combat the common problem Dyslexics have where letters seem to rotate and turn ‘backwards.’ It does this via the design of the letters, which have heavy, dark ‘bottoms’ to give them a sense of ‘gravity’ and being fixed in place. The idea is that the visual look of the letters will help dyslexic brains stop the letter rotation from happening.
The Results
Some informal tests have been conducted involving children and the new font. The results have been mixed; while younger children generally reacted positively and said the font helped them with their reading somewhat, older children were more dismissive. Some who said the font helped went on to say that it became fatiguing to their eye as they read on, and that they’d prefer traditional fonts simply because they were easier to read even though they did nothing to combat their symptoms.
It should be noted that the children tested had all already gone through training in various techniques designed to help people manage Dyslexia. This may have affected their perception of the new font.
The real question isn’t whether this particular font works as advertised, but whether this is a concept that font designers and ultimately desktop publishing professionals should consider going forward. Can fonts be empowered solely through their design to combat mental disorders and promote comprehension and legibility? It’s an intriguing idea that combines the power of design with the power of information.
And if such Super Fonts become common, when should they be used? Unless you are designing a product or layout specifically for Dyslexics, for example, you probably wouldn’t choose to use this font – but how can you know whether or not someone with a learning disability or visual disorder might benefit from a specialised font? Is there a ‘dynamic’ design approach that might solve this in the future?
We don’t know – yet. But it looks like exciting times to come for desktop publishing professionals.
– Artwork Abode
