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Subject:Re: Font Readability From:SuePStewrt -at- AOL -dot- COM Date:Sat, 8 Apr 1995 03:34:58 -0400
>> Okay, here's a question for you usability types. An engineer
in our company is trying to make us change the font we use
from a sans serif to a serif type. He claims that serif is
more readable. Does anyone have some data (studies, hard
evidence) to back one style or the other?
<<
Many studies have shown serif fonts are much easier to read. The serifs tie
the letters together and lead the eye across the page, where the plain
verticals and horizontals of sans-serif stop the eye movement.
If you check out the newsstand, you'll see that virtually all newspapers (I
know of no exceptions, although I'm sure there's one somewhere) and a large
majority of magazines use serif typefaces in body type.
I have, however, heard that similar studies in EUROPE appeared to show that
sans type was easier to read! Perhaps it's the language involved? Any
European Tech-whirlers know of these studies?
