This study combined three research methodologies to inform the choice of a typeface for signs at London’s Heathrow Airport. The methodologies were legibility testing, qualitative consumer research, and expert review. The study showed that, contrary to a number of expert predictions, the serifed typeface performed as well as the sans serif in legibility testing. Character width was a more significant factor in legibility, with condensed sans serif performing relatively poorly. The use of multiple methodologies led to a richer basis for decision-making: the qualitative research revealed clear genre expectations among airport users for sans serif signs; the expert reviewers raised a range of additional issues of genre, culture and context.
Cai, Jing, Dasu Zeng, Fengxiang Guo, Ran Zhang, Gen Li & Cheng Wang
2024. How do design factors of stacked directional signs affect their visual cognition?. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour 107 ► pp. 760 ff.
2024. Approach for Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Airport Roadway Traffic Sign System. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board 2678:7 ► pp. 188 ff.
Schmid, Pascale, Wayne Thompson & David Sargent
2024. Back to the future: On the typography of electronic flight deck documentation. Safety Science 171 ► pp. 106397 ff.
2011. 2011 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference, ► pp. 1 ff.
Strand, Lennart
2008. Legibility on a Podcast: Color and typefaces. In Advances in Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering, ► pp. 265 ff.
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 18 november 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers.
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