Simple Steps to More Readable Type Through Universal Graphic Design
In designing text in visual media, Lighthouse International urges the professional design community to bear in mind the suggestions below. According to vision science expert, Aries Arditi, PhD, author of Lighthouse International's print legibility and color contrast guidelines, "In addition to making information available in alternate formats -- braille, raised letters and audio -- improvements in legibility can be accomplished with surprisingly simple steps that make text accessible to people with a broader range of visual capabilities."
Following are some examples:
Point size - Depending on the typeface, type size should be 16 to 18 points, printed with the highest level of contrast.
Big Type is Best
Font family and style - Simple non-decorative fonts in standard roman style are most effective.
Letter spacing - Text with close letter spacing presents special difficulties for readers who are visually impaired.
Leading - Or spacing between lines -- should be wide enough to allow the reader to easily locate the next line of text while reading.
Contrast - White on a dark or black background, and black on a white background, are the easiest to read for people with impaired vision, research shows.
Color - People with impaired vision almost always have color vision deficits as well. Designers need to take steps to ensure that colors contrast effectively for this audience. Dr. Arditi elaborates, "Color vision deficits cause difficulties in discriminating colors on the three most important perceptual dimensions of color: hue, lightness and saturation. Colors are best chosen to differ dramatically on all three dimensions."
As for critics who say the approach restricts graphic designers, Connie Birdsall, Senior Partner and Design Director, Lippincott & Mercer, the leading corporate and brand identity firm that worked with Lighthouse International on its own visual identity system, says,"Ensuring print legibility presents a creative challenge to the design community and prompts us to re-examine what we do. It also reminds us to keep audience needs top of mind when we design."