'Child Friendly' Typefaces - Research

From my knowledge of studying English Language, there is some evidence that identifies that children are more encouraged/find reading certain typefaces easier than others. Although this is not a fully proven comment, it is of interest to look at when completing this brief do to the young target audience of the YOYO cards. 

- The article posted on booksforkeeps.co.uk, written by Sue Walker goes into detail of the different aspects related to whether certain typefaces are better in helping children read. Walker goes on to explain a study that they carried out using the story, A Sheepless Night - 'We set the pages in serif, sans serif, script and informal typefaces, with and without infant characters. Some tests measured performance and others considered children’s preferences. The performance test asked questions such as: are serif or sans serif types easier or more difficult to read? Do children find infant characters (eg variants of ‘a’ and ‘g’) easier or more difficult to read? One test compared Century (serif type) and Gill Sans (sans serif type) set with and without infant characters, and a second compared Gill with infant characters with Sassoon Primary Infant, Flora and Fabula. Our recordings of children reading were subject to miscue analysis, but there were no significant differences, statistically, between the various typefaces which indicates that the children in this relatively small sample (48 children) were indeed receptive to considerable variation in letterforms.' 

This is an important statement to highlight. It demonstrates that children are able to identify different typefaces however have a consistent level of reading throughout each typeface form. 


- 'However, their reasons for preferring particular typefaces helped to identify some typographic factors that may influence children’s motivation to read. It was evident that children make judgements about the appearance of text and that associations can be strong. They described the ‘character’ of a typeface using words such as ‘brighter’ or ‘faster’ suggesting how motivation and appeal might be affected by typeface.' 

This is another important section of the analysis of the experiment. Although children are aware of different typefaces and have an equal reading ability even if the typeface changes, it demonstrates that there are some factors of a typeface that may be more appealing when reading - it all depends on how each child perceives the typeface and the appearance that they believe it to have. If this image of the typeface is described in a positive way then they are more likely to read the text. 

Walker also addresses infant and non-infant a's and g's. It is a common perception that that infant characters are more appropriate for beginner readers due to the letter appearing more like the ones they are taught to write in phonics. Through the study conducted, the evidence shows that children are able to identify that there are two different 'styles' to certain letters such as a and g. 




Ilene Strizver, Typography for Children


Text Legibility (Typeface choices)
- the counters should be rounded and open (Sassoon Primary)
- avoid non-traditional letterforms
- larger x-heights are generally easier to read
- avoid condensed or expanded typefaces (this makes character recognition more difficult)
- a book or medium weight is most appropriate


Typefaces designed for children
- serifed Bembo Infant
- Plantin Infant
- Gill infant
- Sassoon Primary

Making the text readable
- 14 to 24 point with 4 to 6 point leading (new readers follow words from left to right and jump their eyes from the end of one line to the beginning of another)
- short line lengths
- not too much text on a page
- avoid all caps setting
- ample contrast between the type and background


Headlines and Titles
- can be more playful in style, colour and layout (fewer words therefore acceptable)
- decorative typestyles, colour, curved and jumping baselines can be sed to attract a younger audience
- light and fun ! 

This is just a few notes that I have made from the article which I will thoroughly refer to when deciding on a typeface and setting the point size etc. 

The two articles that have been read indepth are slightly contradictory. Due to this, it is important to take factors from each and find a balance as well as getting feedback from the target audience to determine the most appropriate typeface. Looking at other print pieces for a similar target audience will also inform the decision.