Understanding Influences of the Typographic Quality of Text

ABSTRACT In an electronic-society the production of texts is increasingly enabled or mediated through ICT. Existing typographic research seems to focus on isolated, rule-formulating studies that often have little impact on typographic practice. Our proposed framework aims to overcome these problems, by providing as complete and holistic explanation as possible of influences on a typographic quality in an emerging e-society. Five field studies were conducted in various locations in Sydney in 2005. The participants photographed examples of typographic text that they considered meaningful to their experiences. These were then used in subsequent photo-elicitation interviews. The results of data analysis supported by the literature led to the formation of a framework that synthesizes the influences on the quality of typographic text perceived by the audience. These include the typographic text's form and content, its immediate context, as well as the audience's own personal background and the purpose behind their reading activity. The framework aims to be generic and apply to texts in all various forms, including in print but also text presented on computer screens for e-commerce, e-government and other Internet applications supporting the electronic-society.