The perception of qualities in typefaces: a data review
Abstract
The selection of an appropriate typeface is fundamental in numerous contexts. A typeface that communicates the correct qualities increases the probability of buying a product, perceiving a brand as trustworthy, and communicating a message effectively. How to select the most appropriate typeface, however, is often difficult. Ideally, designers would like to know which qualities each typeface communicates, and which typeface best communicates certain qualities, but this information, if it exists, is scattered across several research articles. Consequently, professionals often select the typeface to use in their work based on their believes, preferences and personal experience. The current review aims to provide professionals with a scientific support for the choice of the appropriate typeface by collecting this scattered information in a single place. We described the findings of 34 studies that asked participants to rate the perception of 229 qualities in 635 typefaces, and we created a unified dataset where data is easily comparable across multiple studies. We believe this work will make designers’ messages more effective