Semantic Differentials of Typefaces as a Method of Congeniality Research

Abstract

The semantic differential, a technique of standardized descriptions for various kinds of objects in order to obtain quantitative measures of similarity, can be applied successfully to discriminate between typefaces and to locate them in a semantic space. Two different semantic differentials—a more general and a more specific one—yielded semantic spaces of three and four dimensions, respectively, on independent aspects. Results are interpreted briefly and with some caution. The main point is the demonstration of the applicability of this technique to typographic problems.