Non-Designer’s Type Book, The, Second Edition

What Makes Type Legible?

Not all sans serif typefaces are eminently legible. One of the keys to legibility is the clarity of the letterforms, or how easy it is to distinguish one character from another. For instance, the typeface Hobo eliminates the descenders (see below); this is useful in certain applications, but it is not what we are accustomed to and thus this feature decreases its legibility.

Legibility depends on the instant recognition of letterforms. When characters have odd shapes, we don’t recognize them instantly.