Design and Communication

Abstract

Visual Communication: We read almost as often as we breathe and reading is the main communication vehicle. We read to study, work, obtain information, for pleasure, and on all media: from paper to screens… and even road signs. Reading, like any other human activity, involves the use of energy and if we can’t decipher the written word in a fluid and immediate way, reading becomes a struggle and leads to asthenopia. The eye muscles, used first in the process to transform the image into information that can be perceived by the human brain, are strained causing typical clinical symptoms: red, sore or watery eyes, double vision. The font is the transmission belt between the text and the reader and when it is easy to read all our energy can be spent in understanding the content. Design for All: The EasyReading font project was originally conceived to make reading easier for people with dyslexia - which affects an estimated 10% of the world’s population, i.e., about 750 million people. During its development, inspired by the ideas of the maestro Bruno Munari, the concept was transformed as a broader Design for All approach was adopted. The difficulties encountered by dyslexic readers were thus seen as an opportunity to design a font that could make reading easier for everyone. Hence it became an inclusive project. Recognitions: At international level, EasyReading is the only font to have been described by an autonomous and independent scientific study, conducted by Christina Bachmann (Clinical Psychologist and Psychotherapist), as “A valid compensatory tool for readers with dyslexia and a facilitating font for all categories of readers”. It has received a positive opinion from the Italian Dyslexia Association (AID) for its specific graphic characteristics that are useful in facilitating reading by those with dyslexia problems. For its innovative design, it has been granted financial incentives by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, through the Italian Value Foundation, Permanent Exhibition of Made in Italy and Italian Design. Work in Progress: In 2018, the new “EasyReading Pro” version will be released which, in addition to the Latin alphabet, will include the Cyrillic, Greek (ancient-modern) and Coptic alphabets.