De kern hiervan is een letterontwerp, gebaseerd op de combinatie van een middeleeuws en een hedendaags concept. Het middeleeuwse deel betreft de elfde en de twaalfde eeuw, de romaanse periode, en... Show moreDe kern hiervan is een letterontwerp, gebaseerd op de combinatie van een middeleeuws en een hedendaags concept. Het middeleeuwse deel betreft de elfde en de twaalfde eeuw, de romaanse periode, en in het bijzonder de epigrafie van die tijd: romaanse kapitalen in inscripties. Deze kapitalen werden gedurende tweehonderd jaar in een groot deel van Europa toegepast. Hiernaast zijn velerlei typografische en culturele ontwikkelingen in de twintigste en de eenentwintigste eeuw de bron voor het nieuwe letterontwerp. De Alverata toont enkele middeleeuwse kenmerken die wonderwel met de modernste typografische software en voor hedendaags gebruik is toe te passen. Bovendien kan de Alverata het uitgangspunt zijn voor vernieuwend leesbaarheidsonderzoek. Show less
Due to the low quality level of visual input they receive in the form of printed text, beginning visually impaired readers are at a disadvantage in comparison to their peers. In the past,... Show moreDue to the low quality level of visual input they receive in the form of printed text, beginning visually impaired readers are at a disadvantage in comparison to their peers. In the past, typography has often been looked upon as a useful instrument to improve the legibility of the printed reading material that is being offered to children with low vision. However, the legiblity research efforts that were at the base of this conception were not always of good quality. In cognitive science for example, many efforts were made that were methodologically correct, yet the test material (the used typefaces) had little to do with reality. Many typefaces that were supposed to improve legibility were also suggested by typographers themselves, but the reasoning behind them was hardly ever sufficiently methodologically supported. Moreover, most legibility research focused on people with low vision in general, ignoring the fac t that visually impaired children constitute a very particular group with specific issues. This doctoral research project in design seeks to shed a light on legibility in the context of visually impaired beginning readers. Starting from these findings and from a legibility research a first step is given to design a typeface that will be able to provide support for the target group of visually impaired children in the first stages of the reading process. Show less
What is the cost of visual complexity? This dissertation sets out to determine the effect of the complexity of word formation on the legibility of Arabic and the role that vocalization plays in... Show moreWhat is the cost of visual complexity? This dissertation sets out to determine the effect of the complexity of word formation on the legibility of Arabic and the role that vocalization plays in reading. This is carried out via a holistic approach to legibility research that combines the visual culture with eye movement in reading and legibility studies. To do this it looks at the transition of Arabic manuscript letterforms into typographic ones, the anatomy of the Arabic script, and the predominant typographic styles in use today. It presents the design process of the specially designed Afandem typeface family, a review of eye movement findings, and a new definition of legibility that is rooted in the models of eye movement. The experiment used eye tracking to test 72 subjects in Beirut to determine the effect of the complexity and vocalization on reading measures. The results show that the increased complexity of word formation has a negative effect on the legibility of Arabic typefaces and that the short vowels add a cost to word processing even though they bring with them extra clarity that results in a reduced number of regressions. These results are discussed within the scope of the Arab world today, its cultural and educational setup, and avenues for further research are explored. Show less
