44

THE NON-DESIGNER'S TYPE BOOK

What are you saying?

Always be conscious of the words themselves. Some words, such as "Sale,"
can probably be set in just about anything and people will get it. But
if you have an unusual name, don't set it on your business card in a type¬
face that is difficult to read! If words are long or foreign and extremely
important, be especially careful to choose a typeface with great legibility.

Sale Sde SA LU Sf le

What makes type legible?

Not all sans serif typefaces are eminently legible. One of the keys to legibil¬
ity is the clarity of the letterforms, or how easy it is to distinguish one
character from another. For instance, the typeface Hobo eliminates the
descenders (see below); this is useful in certain applications, but it is not
what we are accustomed to and thus this feature decreases its legibility.

( don't make jokes. I just watch the government
and report the facts.

Will Rogers

Legibility depends on the instant recognition of letterforms.

When characters have odd shapes, we don't recognize them instantly.

3 : THE ART OF LEGIBILITY

45

Large or small x-height

An exceptionally large x-height decreases legibility. Some faces have such
large x-heights that an "n" is hardly different from an "h."

And a very small x-height also decreases legibility. The body of the
character is disproportionate to the cap height, and our eyes find this to be
distracting—besides the fact that the letters appear too small.

I dOte ОП h¡S Very absence. William Shakespeare

Notice there is not much difference between the "n" and the "h, " nor
between the "i" and the "I" in "William." Typeface is Antique Olive Roman.

Hercules himself coula not beat out his brains,

ЮГ he had none. William Shakespeare

Although this typeface is pretty and very distinctive, it is not
the most legible. Typeface is Bernhard Modern.