Chapter 4
Legibility and Readability
End of Chapter Review Answers
1. Explain the difference between legibility and readability.
2. Name three factors that affect legibility, and explain how they affect it.
Possible answers:
Familiarity plays a big part in whether your audience will be able to read your text. Obscure and unusual
typefaces should not be used for body text although they can be used as display type.
Serif vs. sans serif-Research has shown that for body text serif typefaces are easier to read than sans-serif
than one with a rough or choppy texture built using inconsistent elements.
The stroke weight of the characters of a typeface also influences legibility. If strokes are too wide, counters
may begin to disappear. If strokes are too thin, the strokes may be hard to see. A moderate stroke weight will
usually be the most legible choice
The level of contrast between the thickest and the thinnest strokes of a character can affect legibility. Body
type, set in a typeface with very high contrast, has a dazzle effect that tires the eyes, while typefaces with
very low contrast can be difficult to read because there is less variation to help readers recognize one
letterform from another.
3. Name three factors that affect readability, and explain how they affect it.
Possible answers:
Typeface selection-using too many typefaces in one design can produce a chaotic effect that decreases
readability.
Alignment- how lines are text are arranged in relation to each other and the margins will affect readability.
4. What is the difference between tracking and kerning?
5. How do color and value affect readability? How does typographic color affect readability? Name a highly
readable combination and one with poor readability.
When a background tint exceeds a 10% gray legibility is reduced. The human eye perceives a combination of