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Article published In:
Information Design Journal
Vol. 27:2 (2022) ► pp.213–231

Effects of changes in spacing on dual-script sign legibility

The role of vertical connecting spacing in bilingual (Chinese-English) traffic signs

ORCID logo | University of Reading
ORCID logo | University of Leeds

This study examined changes to typographic variables in Chinese-English traffic signs. Particularly, it considered the effect of connecting spacing – the vertical distance between a Chinese legend and its English translation – on reading performance for participants who read English but not Chinese. Participants were shown driving video simulations, featuring four connecting space measures (1/6H, 1/3H, 1/2H, 3/4H where H is the height of one Chinese character) and asked to indicate directions. A threshold method with an accuracy check was applied. The study demonstrated that connecting spacing affected participants’ reading performance and is an important consideration for dual-script sign legibility.

Keywords: Chinese-English traffic signs, dual-script typography, bilingual signage, typographic spacing, sign legibility
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Defining variables
    • 2.1Four measures of connecting spacing
    • 2.2Two levels of sign complexity
    • 2.3Three lengths of English information
  • 3.Study design
    • 3.1Method
    • 3.2Materials
    • 3.3Equipment and site
  • 4.Participants
  • 5.Result
    • 5.1Response time
    • 5.2Accuracy
  • 6.Discussion
    • 6.1Response time
    • 6.2Response time versus accuracy
  • 7.Contribution
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 21 November 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/idj.21008.zha
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