Legibility: Sinhala typeface features for Directional Informative Sign Boards
Typefaces designed for the purpose of directional informative sign boards (DISB) communicate legible information related to drivers and passengers to navigate within road systems to: maintain road discipline and assist drivers to make instant decisions within a short period while operating a vehicle...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Novi Sad
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Journal of Graphic Engineering and Design |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.grid.uns.ac.rs/jged/download/v14n3/jged_v14_n3_p2.pdf |
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| author | Shyanika Eramudugolla Sumanthri Samarawickrama |
| author_facet | Shyanika Eramudugolla Sumanthri Samarawickrama |
| author_sort | Shyanika Eramudugolla |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Typefaces designed for the purpose of directional informative sign boards (DISB) communicate legible information related to drivers and passengers to navigate within road systems to: maintain road discipline and assist drivers to make instant decisions within a short period while operating a vehicle. The legibility of these typefaces works as a fundamental requirement. The reader's preference test (RPT) highlights that a typeface is unique due to its visual features–the anatomy of a typeface and it influences legibility performance, comprehension, memorability, priming, persuasion, perceptual fluency, and practical usage. This visual perception and the neurotic process of connecting human vision and brain is the intellectual cognition between; reader and information that acutely affects the reader to process information. When considering the amount of research work towards the advancement of DISB and typefaces designed for this purpose is at large within the western context, and more evident in Latin script but lacks in scripts such as Sinhala and Tamil within the Eastern regions. To fill this knowledge gap, the research contributes to Sinhala script discussed within the domain of typography research and proposes a draft typeface for Sri Lankan DISB. Considering legibility to be a required key factor in typefaces designed for the purpose of DISB the research methodology was structured into three stages. The first stage reviews legibility test methods, its measurements, testable factors usability and identifies the most relevant test to analyse typeface features. This section concludes by identifying RPT as the most relevant test with two variables: typeface personality traits and anatomy. Second stage adopts the two variables and tests six Sinhala typefaces that contain personality traits required for DISBs. It concludes with the identification of three typefaces that contain the required personality traits for DISB. The third stage analyses the anatomy of the three typefaces and proposes a draft Sinhala typeface for DISB. This stage redefines the two variables specific to Sinhala script and typography research. The stage concludes with a summary of the anatomical features of the proposed draft typeface and confirms a list of anatomical features required for Sri Lankan DISBs. The research also contributes to developing a methodology to analyse Sinhala typefaces, and draft new typefaces for specified communicative purposes. As for further research, the research the draft typeface to be developed and tested to font and to adapt to similar scripts and advanced typography research. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:57:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ea2506e0e95847c680c19c1dbce91bf8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2217-379X 2217-9860 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:57:38Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | University of Novi Sad |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Graphic Engineering and Design |
| spelling | doaj.art-ea2506e0e95847c680c19c1dbce91bf82023-09-18T10:51:18ZengUniversity of Novi SadJournal of Graphic Engineering and Design2217-379X2217-98602023-09-01143152510.24867/JGED-2023-3-015Legibility: Sinhala typeface features for Directional Informative Sign BoardsShyanika Eramudugolla0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6228-5409Sumanthri Samarawickrama1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7039-6651University of Moratuwa, Katubedda, Moratuwa, Sri LankaUniversity of Moratuwa, Katubedda, Moratuwa, Sri LankaTypefaces designed for the purpose of directional informative sign boards (DISB) communicate legible information related to drivers and passengers to navigate within road systems to: maintain road discipline and assist drivers to make instant decisions within a short period while operating a vehicle. The legibility of these typefaces works as a fundamental requirement. The reader's preference test (RPT) highlights that a typeface is unique due to its visual features–the anatomy of a typeface and it influences legibility performance, comprehension, memorability, priming, persuasion, perceptual fluency, and practical usage. This visual perception and the neurotic process of connecting human vision and brain is the intellectual cognition between; reader and information that acutely affects the reader to process information. When considering the amount of research work towards the advancement of DISB and typefaces designed for this purpose is at large within the western context, and more evident in Latin script but lacks in scripts such as Sinhala and Tamil within the Eastern regions. To fill this knowledge gap, the research contributes to Sinhala script discussed within the domain of typography research and proposes a draft typeface for Sri Lankan DISB. Considering legibility to be a required key factor in typefaces designed for the purpose of DISB the research methodology was structured into three stages. The first stage reviews legibility test methods, its measurements, testable factors usability and identifies the most relevant test to analyse typeface features. This section concludes by identifying RPT as the most relevant test with two variables: typeface personality traits and anatomy. Second stage adopts the two variables and tests six Sinhala typefaces that contain personality traits required for DISBs. It concludes with the identification of three typefaces that contain the required personality traits for DISB. The third stage analyses the anatomy of the three typefaces and proposes a draft Sinhala typeface for DISB. This stage redefines the two variables specific to Sinhala script and typography research. The stage concludes with a summary of the anatomical features of the proposed draft typeface and confirms a list of anatomical features required for Sri Lankan DISBs. The research also contributes to developing a methodology to analyse Sinhala typefaces, and draft new typefaces for specified communicative purposes. As for further research, the research the draft typeface to be developed and tested to font and to adapt to similar scripts and advanced typography research.https://www.grid.uns.ac.rs/jged/download/v14n3/jged_v14_n3_p2.pdflegibilityreader preference testsinhala typefacedirectional informative signboardstypography research |
| spellingShingle | Shyanika Eramudugolla Sumanthri Samarawickrama Legibility: Sinhala typeface features for Directional Informative Sign Boards Journal of Graphic Engineering and Design legibility reader preference test sinhala typeface directional informative signboards typography research |
| title | Legibility: Sinhala typeface features for Directional Informative Sign Boards |
| title_full | Legibility: Sinhala typeface features for Directional Informative Sign Boards |
| title_fullStr | Legibility: Sinhala typeface features for Directional Informative Sign Boards |
| title_full_unstemmed | Legibility: Sinhala typeface features for Directional Informative Sign Boards |
| title_short | Legibility: Sinhala typeface features for Directional Informative Sign Boards |
| title_sort | legibility sinhala typeface features for directional informative sign boards |
| topic | legibility reader preference test sinhala typeface directional informative signboards typography research |
| url | https://www.grid.uns.ac.rs/jged/download/v14n3/jged_v14_n3_p2.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT shyanikaeramudugolla legibilitysinhalatypefacefeaturesfordirectionalinformativesignboards AT sumanthrisamarawickrama legibilitysinhalatypefacefeaturesfordirectionalinformativesignboards |