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Evaluating Fonts: Font Family Selection for Accessibility & Display Readability

Authors:

Abstract

An informal evaluation of the accessibility characteristics of several dozen fonts. Generally accepted accessibility concerns are discussed.
Evaluating Fonts
Font Family Selection for Accessibility & Display Readability
by Andrew Somers • DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.28058.80320
hat makes a font easy to read? The full
answer could take a book to describe,
but this is just a pamplet so we'll stick to the
bare essentials. Font size, weight, tracking
(i.e. letter spacing) leading (i.e. line spacing)
and lightness contrast vs. the background
are key factors. For this guide, we'll focus
most on the design of the individual letters
(called glyphs). We'll use black letters on
white, and an 18pt size for the examples.
W
Who needs readable text? Everyone! Even
people with perfect vision have minimum
visual needs — but did you know that over
50% of the population has a vision problem
that needs additional consideration and
accomodation? In fact, everyone eventually
develops a visual impairment needing
accomodation as a natural part of aging.
This guide is intended to help designers
choose fonts that are easiest to read for
everyone. We have considered the needs of
normal and impaired vision, including
acuity (blurryness), contrast (washed-out or
faded look), and letter & word recognition
(dyslexia and other cognitive types).
The fonts in the guide are just a sampling
to demostrate the various aspects aecting
readability, mainly for fonts used as body
text. Most of these fonts are freely available
on sites such as Google Fonts.
Key Design Factors to Consider for Best Readability
Check that multi-letter homoglyphs are easy to differentiate, especially rn vs m & cl vs d
WORSE BETTER
Arial Narrow: rn m, cl d, cj g, vv w, vy w Convergence: rn m, cl d, cj g, vv w, vy w
Josefin: rn m, cl d, cj g, vv w Quando: rn m, cl d, cj g, vv w
Check common single-letter confusions & avoid too many “similarly structured” glyphs:
WORSE BETTER
Arial Narrow: 5S8B 7Z QOCG 1lI qgy ce DM Serif: 5S8B 7Z QOCG 1lI qgy ce
Fugaz One: 8B 7Z DO0CG6 1lI aqgy ce yuvw SecularOne: 8B 7Z DO0CG6 1lI aqgy ce yuvw
Gill Sans: 5S8B 7Z QO 1lI ce vyw Convergence: 5S8B 7Z QO 1lI ce vyw
Autour One: gq gy yq aqc Artifika: gq gy yq aqc
Avoid fonts with many “mirror image” glyphs, lowercase db or qp should be more distinct.
WORSE BETTER
(notice the b is a di!erent shape, not a mirror of d)
Montserrat: db qp gp ae Convergence: db qp gp ae
Check that letter pairs are properly kerned, and that tracking is consistent:
WORSE BETTER
Josefin: AWowzer, Lyte, IDAHO GREAT Caslon: AWowzer, Lyte, IDAHO GREAT
PerceptEx — The Web Perception Experiment • Copyright © 2019 by Myndex Technologies & Andrew Somers. All Rights Reserved
Fonts shown in 18pt with some considerations for evaluating potential readability & accessibility for
mobile devices or computer displays. Evaluations are not based on aesthetics, only functionality.
Example “Best” Fonts for Accessibility & Display Readability
IDEAL EXAMPLE — SERIF
Libre Baskerville
Tom was torn — go hear HaIcy’s cornet, or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lI"hkaceqpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbt#ehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789ƒ
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo, gy, rnm extra distinct, big x-height, good numbers
IDEAL EXAMPLE — SERIF
Gabriella
Tom was torn
— to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceoqpgyj
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒπ§
• Good: 1lI, rnm, hk db qp ft are extra distinct, good x-height, good weight, good leading/kerning/tracking
IDEAL EXAMPLE — SANS-SERIF
Convergence
Tom was torn
— to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaqpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ ¶§
• Good: db, qp, ft, rnm are extra distinct, 1lI, 0Oo distinct Meh: aq, gy lacks distinction, short leading
IDEAL EXAMPLE — MONOSPACE
Source Code Pro
Tom's torn—hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa.qpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz123456
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo, rnm are extra distinct, good x-height, good leading, many weights in family
IDEAL EXAMPLE — HEADLINE/DISPLAY
Secular One
Tom was torn
— to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ∆π§@
DISPLAY CAPITALS: AWVUYXGCDBTFEHKJILNMOQRPSZ WACTOMY
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo are distinct, good x-height, extra leading, fairly open counters, good kerning & tracking
PerceptEx — The Web Perception Experiment • Copyright © 2019 by Myndex Technologies & Andrew Somers. All Rights Reserved
Good Serif Fonts for Accessibility & Readability
Palatino
Tom was torn — to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ∆"¶§@!
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo, db, ft, rnm are extra distinct, good numbers, good asc/desc. Meh: kerning/track too tight
Poly
Tom was torn — to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lI!hkdbaceo qpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbt"ehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ∆π§@
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo, rnm are extra distinct, good x-height, extra leading Meh: numbers, descenders
Gentium Book Basic
Tom was torn — should he go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ∆π¶§@!
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo, db, ft, rnm are extra distinct, good ascenders, good numbers. Meh: kerning/track
Georgia
Tom was torn — to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ∆π¶§∞◊
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo, db, qp, ft, rnm are extra distinct. Meh: inconsistent number glyph height.
Arvo
To m w a s t o rn — to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceoqpgyji
ƒ∆ ◊Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 §
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo, db, gy, rnm are extra distinct, good x-height, good weight, good numbers Meh: short descenders.
Arbutus Slab
Tom was torn
— go hear HaIcy’s cornet, or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkaceoqpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz12345678ƒ∆π§
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo, rnm — distinct, big x-height, Meh: asc/dec, kerning
Milonga
Tom was torn
— to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
∆π ◊Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ §
Good: 0Oo, db, rnm are extra distinct Meh: 1 l less distinct, kerning/tracking problems/tightness
PerceptEx — The Web Perception Experiment • Copyright © 2019 by Myndex Technologies & Andrew Somers. All Rights Reserved
Good Sans Fonts for Accessibility & Display Readability
K2D
To m w a s t o r n — to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ π§
• Good: 1 l I, 0Oo, rnm, qpgyji — distinct, good leading, good x-height
Share
Tom was to rn — should he go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ∆π¶§∞◊&
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo are extra distinct, rnm is distinct good x-height Meh: db, qp — short asc/descenders, condensed
Verdana
Tom was torn — go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbqpgyj
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo are extra distinct, good x-height Meh: db, qp — short asc/descenders, rnm is indistinct.
Ubuntu
Tom was torn — to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ∆π¶§∞◊
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo, ft are distinct, good x-height Meh: db, qp — short asc/descenders, rnm is less distinct.
Body/Headline Font for Accessibility & Display Readability
Podkova (for Body) Podkova Extra Bold (for Display)
Tom was torn
— to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceoqpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ∆π§
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo, rnm are extra distinct, good x-height Meh: short leading , weird ascenders: dbhk
DISPLAY CAPITALS: AWVUYXGCDBTFEHKJILNMOQRPSZ WACTOM
rnm1lIhkdbaceoqpgyji & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 12345678
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo, rnm are extra distinct, good x-height Meh: short leading , weird ascenders: dbhk
DIN Alternate (for Display)
Tom was torn
— should he go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
∆∞Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ 𶧠@! &
Good weight, Okay glyph distinction, descenders a little weak.
PerceptEx — The Web Perception Experiment • Copyright © 2019 by Myndex Technologies & Andrew Somers. All Rights Reserved
Good Mono Fonts for Accessibility & Display Readability
Fira Code
Tom's torn
—hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa.
1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji kbhrnm
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz123456
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo, rnm are extra distinct, good x-height Meh: dbqp— short asc/descenders.
Ubuntu MONO
Tom was torn — to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbqpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ∆π¶§
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo, rnm are extra distinct Meh: short leading, tight monospacing, dbqp — short asc/des
Andale Mono
Tom's torn
— hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa.
1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji kbhrnm
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz123456789
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo, rnm — extra distinct Meh: dbqply — short ascenders/descenders
Good Trans-Serif Fonts for Accessibility & Readability
Artifika
Tom was torn
— go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbqpgyj
ƒData IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789
• Good: 0Oo, db, qp, gy, ft, rnm are extra distinct, good x-heigh Meh: 1lI is a little indistinct, tight leading
Asul
Tom was torn
— best to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
ƒ∆π ◊Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 § &
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo, rnm, dbqpgy distinct, good x-height
Arima Madurai
Tom was torn
— should he go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ∆π¶§∞◊
• Good: rnm, hk db qp are extra distinct, 1lI, 0Oo distinct, x-height, extra leading Meh: light wgt, gy lacks distinction
PerceptEx — The Web Perception Experiment • Copyright © 2019 by Myndex Technologies & Andrew Somers. All Rights Reserved
“Kinda Okay” Fonts for Accessibility & Display Readability
Cochin (Serif)
Tom was torn — should he go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ∆π¶§@!
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo, db, qp, ft, rnmdistinct, wide caps, extra leading. Meh: small x-Ht, lrc j has weak descender.
Didot (Serif)
To m w a s t o r n — to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ∆π¶§∞◊
Good: 1lI, 0Oo, rnm distinct Meh: variable stroke width gets too thin for use as a screen body-font.
Ruda (Sans-Serif)
Tom was torn
— to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
ƒ∆π ◊Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 §
• Good: rnm distinct BIG x-height, good tracking/kerning Meh: 1lI, 0Oo are less distinct, dbqp — short asc/desc..
Optima (Trans-Serif)
Tom was torn — should he go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
πData IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz123456789 ƒ¶§∞◊
Good stroke variation helps overall, otherwise so-so glyph distinction.
Oriya MN (Trans-Serif)
To m w a s torn — to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ∆π§◊
• Good: x-height, good kerning/tracking Meh: rnm 1lI lack distinction, x-height numbers, short descenders
Kelly Slab (Slab-Serif)
Tom was torn
— to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
∆π ◊Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ §
• Good: rnm, hk db qp are extra distinct Meh: 1lI, 0Oo lack distinction, glyphs a bit weird and squarish.
Modern Antiqua (Serif)
Tom was torn
— to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbacqpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 Ĥ
Good: rnm distinct Meh: 1lI 0Oo indistinct, some glyphs are weird non-standard design.
PerceptEx — The Web Perception Experiment • Copyright © 2019 by Myndex Technologies & Andrew Somers. All Rights Reserved
Marko One
Tom was torn
—go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIhkdbqpgyj
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789§
• Good: rnm distinct BIG x-height, good weight, good tracking/kerning Meh: 1lI, 0Oo are less distinct.
Rum Raisin (Whimsical Display)
Tom was torn
— to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ∆π§
• Good: rnm distinct, good weight, but use sparingly Meh: 1lI 0Oo lack distinction, this is set at 22pt as the font is small.
Rockwell (Slab-Serif) Rockwell Bold (for Display)
Tom was torn — go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbqpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 §
Good x-height, good weight Meh: lacks glyph distinction (number 1 and lower case l ), baseline & leading errors.
DISPLAY: AWVUYXGCDBTFEHKJILNMOQRPSZ ACTOMY
rnm1lIhkdbaceoqpgyji & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz123
Good x-height, good weight Meh: lacks glyph distinction, tight tracking, baseline & leading errors.
Simonetta (for Body) Simonetta Black (for Display)
Tom was torn — should he go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
ƒ∆π ∞◊Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ¶§
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo, rnm, dbqp are distinct Meh: counters small, tracking too tight
DISPLAY CAPS: AWVUYXGCDBTFEHKJILNMOQRPSZ ACTOMY
ƒrnm1lIhkdbaceoqpgyji & adcbt!ehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 §
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo, rnm, dbqp are distinct Meh: counters too small, tracking too tight, small x-height
Spectral (for Body) Spectral Extra Bold (for Display)
Tom was to rn — to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lI>hkdbaceo qpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtFehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ∆π§
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo, rnm are distinct, extra leading, ligature okay, kerning/tracking nicely open
!"#$%&'()&$#*(&+,-'./)!0123456"%789:;$#<(&198
=>?@A"BCDEFGHIJKLMNO(P(FDGEQRHBMLCA=>?IJKSTUVWOX@YZ[\]^_`
• Good: same as regular weight, EXCEPT Extra Bold Meh: counters a bit small, tracking is tight, small x-height
PerceptEx — The Web Perception Experiment • Copyright © 2019 by Myndex Technologies & Andrew Somers. All Rights Reserved
Charter (for Body) Charter Black (for Display)
Tom was torn — should he go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ∆π¶§∞◊
DISPLAY CAPS: AWVUYXGCDBTFEHKJILNMOQRPSZ ACTOMY
rnm1lIhkdbaceoqpgyji & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz1234
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo, rnm, dbqp are extra distinct, good x-height Meh: kerning/tracking
Autour One (Trans-Serif)
Tom's torn
— hear HaIcy’s cornet,see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa.aqgyj
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz1234
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo, qp, rnm are extra distinct, big x-height, spacious tracking Meh: less distinct hkygaq
Lobster Two (script)
To m w a s t o r n — should he go hear HaIcys cornet or see Haleys comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1LI,hkdbaceoaqpgyji
∆π ∞ ◊Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpsw.x/ 123456789 ƒ ¶§ @! &
Good weight & glyph distinction, but mainly a fun display-only font, should be used sparingly if at all. Can be hard to read.
Redressed (script)
Tom was torn
— to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haleys comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
∆π ◊Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ §
• Good: rnm is distinct, but use font sparingly Meh: 1lI 0Oo lack distinction, this is set at 22pt as font is too small
Raleway Extra Bold
Tom was torn — to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbceoqpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ∆π§
• Good: 1lI, 0Oo, rnm, qp — distinct, good x-height Meh: short asc/desc, tight tracking/kerning, numbers
Righteous
Tom was torn
— to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
ƒ∆ ◊Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 π§
• Good: 0Oo, rnm — distinct, good x-height Meh: 1lI indistinct, short asc/desc, tight tracking/kerning
??? ~ What's With the Scrambled Alphabet? ~ ???
Yes, we know that “adcbtfj...” as shown in the type samples is not the normal alphabet order. This
is a simulation of dyslexic perception to give normal viewers a sense of dyslexia.
Try reading this order
out-loud for the full e!ect.
Also, some problem letters for dyslexia are placed together: qp ft rnm db
PerceptEx — The Web Perception Experiment • Copyright © 2019 by Myndex Technologies & Andrew Somers. All Rights Reserved
“Not So Great” Fonts for Accessibility & Display Readability
DM Serif Text
Tom wa s to rn — should he go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
ƒ∆π ∞◊Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 §
DISPLAY CAPITALS: AWVUYXGCDBTFEHKJILNMOQRPSZ WACTOMY
• Good: 0Oo, rnm are distinct, good x-height, extra leading Meh: minor strokes are too thin
Montserrat
Tom was torn — to hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbacqpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 Ĥ
Good kerning/tracking, Good x-height, but short asc/dec & many glyphs lack distinction (Il dbqpo).
Arial ~ Despite being a “standard” Arial is not particularly good for accessibility purposes ~
Tom was torn — to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ∆π¶§∞◊
Good x-height & weight BAD: poor glyph distinction, default kerning/tracking poor.
Arial Narrow
To m w a s t o r n — should he go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ∆π¶§@!&
BAD: Arial Narrow seems designed to “look good” to normal vision while being unreadable for dyslexia or low vision.
Helvetica Neue Thin
Tom was torn —should he go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ∆π¶§@!&
Good x-height BAD: poor glyph distinction, default spacing too tight, this iteration's weight (thin) is too light.
Futura Bold
Tom was torn — to go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 Ĥ
Font weight is okay but poor glyph distinction: aocijdbqpft rnm 1lI, also for e the counter (the hole) is too small.
We've always liked the “look” of Futura, but have also always had problems trying to fit it into a workable design. It's useful
for ornamental text like big attention getting headlines, or side comments you don't really need to read, but not main content.
PerceptEx — The Web Perception Experiment • Copyright © 2019 by Myndex Technologies & Andrew Somers. All Rights Reserved
“Not Good” Fonts for Accessibility & Readability
Josefin Slab Thin
Tom was torn — should he go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo aqpgyji
ƒ∆π ∞ Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ¶§ @!
Mostly good glyph distinction BAD: small x-height & thin weight (too light for reading).
Manquis CP
Tom was torn
should he go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
ƒ∆π¶§∞ ◊Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 @!
For Access: while most glyphs are distinctive, it's very thin & the structure of some glyphs is weird, such as: e a t r x
Philosopher
Tom was torn — should he go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
∆π ∞ Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ ¶§ @!
Bad: Capital i is I and lower case L is l. Also the font has short asc/descenders. Too bad as the font is good otherwise.
•• I.e. the I (i) looks like a lower case L and the l (L) looks like an upper case i. (!!!)
“Just Plain Bad” Fonts for Accessibility & Display Readability
Brush Script MT
Tom was torn — should he go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ∆π¶§@!&
U N R E A D A B L E !
I've had this font as long as I can remember, yet I have never used it in my entire life.
Ironnick NF
Tom was torn
— should he go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
∆π ∞ ◊Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ ¶§ @! &
Mostly poor glyph distinction, x-height far too small, decorative use only, not for meaningful content.
Snell Roundhand
Tom was torn — should he go hear HaIcy’s cornet or see Haley’s comet?
As a 1 l I saw a bum burn a bad bag of quinoa. 1lIfthkdbaceo qpgyji
∆∞Data IO is 1 or 0 & adcbtfjehygklrnmoqpswuvxiz 123456789 ƒ 𶧠@! &
Some glyph distinction, but otherwise an elegantly unreadable font! Decorative use only, not for content.
PerceptEx — The Web Perception Experiment • Copyright © 2019 by Myndex Technologies & Andrew Somers. All Rights Reserved
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