Serif vs Sans Serif
A client of mine insists on using a sans serif font for all his business communications. Why does this rub me the wrong way? Because I was taught that serif fonts are easier to read and more legible particularly for large bodies of copy. As I recall, this is due to the fact that each individual letter form has more visual information and therefore the mind is able to recognize and interpret each letter faster. (Sounds logical right?)
I searched the internet for evidence to this theory that I could then present to my client to reinforce my argument. What I came across surprised me. Specifically, nothing. No evidential proof whatsoever.
However, I did come across a very thorough review of over 50 empirical studies in typography: Which Are More Legible: Serif or Sans Serif Typefaces? by Alex Poole, an interaction designer from Europe. In the article, Poole questions, “Do serifs contribute to the legibility of typefaces, and by definition, are sans serif typefaces less legible?” The answer? It makes no difference.
What initially seemed a neat dichotomous question of serif versus sans serif has resulted in a body of research consisting of weak claims and counter-claims, and study after study with findings of “no difference”. Is it the case that more than one hundred years of research has been marred by repeated methodological flaws, or are serifs simply a typographical “red herring”?
Two things irritate me about this article. First, it totally obliterates what has been filed under the heading of my professional opinion for the past 8 years. And secondly, now what am I going to tell my client?
4 Comments to “Serif vs Sans Serif”
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I’ve read that serif fonts are easier to read on printed material and sans serif are better for reading on a screen. I have no idea where this comes from, but I suspect it’s just the preference of whoever wrote it. Sounds to me like it boils down to a design choice.
I know. It’s completely annoying.
Two observations:
1) The stylesheet for this blog uses only sans serif…but that’s beside the point, which is
2) Other studies (and semi-annoying emails) have claimed that the internal letters of a word are really not important – that we simply scan the first and last, and the heights of other letters. If this is true, then perhaps it’s also true that the visual information of individual letters is fairly insignificant.
Or, maybe it’s the web that’s screwing everything up. I blame that.
I had read years ago that serif typefaces were more legible than sens serif and have been surprised to learn that research studies find there is no difference.
What you’re used to reading makes a difference,according to one study. Since virtually all print publications (newspapers, magazines, books–including school texts) use serif typefaces for body text mmany of us likely find serif typefaces more comfortable.