Lecture 5
Legibility

We need to question our work in order to decide whether it is legible. Our work needs to appear understandable and recognisable to our chosen or given audience else they can easily become disinterested and misunderstood in the work we produce. A busy structure or image can interfere with the audiences view and understanding of what we are trying to state or put across. In the case of a piece of text, the words need to be clear and readable. Certain typefaces can lack in legiability if it is not used appropriately. This can depend on the alignment, font colour and size.
In the terms of colour, there needs to be a clear contrast between the type and background. The two colour's that show the strongest contrast are black and yellow. Alignment gives a clear direction of where they need to read to understand what we are trying to state. If there are too many words on a line, the reader can struggle to follow on to the next line therefore when aligning our text we focus on the rule 10-15 words on a line.
You also need to consider how it will appear when applied to different scales and  forms such as billboards, websites, smart phone applications as they will be viewed differently. Somebody driving past a billboard will expect to see little text and large images where as a poster or leaflet with the same concept, will be more explanatory and may go into more detail.
Images can help communicate and reinforce a message although when text is placed over an image with little contrast between the two, it can become illegible.

When experimenting and developing rough designs and layouts for my advertisement, I looked at how text and image can be used together. The two images below show a perfect example of how and why legibility needs to be considered.

The line I wanted to use with the image was 'Look no further', and I wanted the text to appear as if it was being read by the girls eyes. So I experimented placing text over the image and immediately I had to question whether it was legible. Only some letters appear clear to the viewer, where as some letters are hidden by the image due to the colour of the text and which part of the image it was placed on. The scale of the text is also too large, making it unclear to make out what the image is. The design is too busy and confusing for the viewer.

Fonts will need to be changed in order to deliver the message stronger.




















Tone of Voice

To ensure that your work communicates correctly to your audience you need to make sure it delivers the right tone of voice. The correct tone of voice supports the message you are trying to deliver to your audience so they are not mislead or confused. Today people can easily recognize and understand typography for the tone of voice it can create and deliver; typefaces are essential to the message that is being communicated. Whether you are expressing anger, happiness, sarcasm, shouting or whispering, typography allows us to relate to how it is being said.
Here are ways in which tone of voice can be correctly and incorrectly delivered.

The word compression refers to pressure in a tight space. I reduced the kerning between the letters, to emphasis the word compression. It is as if the word itself has compressed. The word space, immediately makes us think of a large, open surrounding. To emphasis the distance, instead I increased the kerning between the letters. Both words deliver a correct tone of voice.

 Here the tone of voice has been  used incorrectly. When someone shouts we expect the typeface to be loud and large to grab our attention where as when somebody whispers we expect the opposite. The typeface needs to be small, so the word is not easily recognisable straight away, as we expect when someone whispers. The typefaces need to be switched round to deliver the correct tone of voice.