The Braille Institute has introduced a custom typeface called “Atkinson Hyperlegible.” The typeface is designed specifically to help with legibility and to improve readability for people with low vision. Named after Braille Institute founder, Robert J. Atkinson, the typeface breaks with the traditional typographic approach of uniformity and instead focuses on letterform distinction to increase character recognition. “Many individuals with low vision find letters that are relatively similar in shape difficult to distinguish such as lowercase ‘l’ and number ‘1’; Atkinson Hyperlegible differentiates these letters by putting a tail on the letter and a hook on the number, making each distinct from the other,” said Craig Dobie, Founding Creative Director of Applied Design Works, the agency which led development of the new typeface.
Atkinson Hyperlegible consists of four fonts — standard, bold standard, italics and bold italics. The fonts are available free at www.brailleinsitute.org/freefont. “We want designers, publishers or anyone interested in making written materials easier to read across the entire visual-ability spectrum to utilize Atkinson Hyperlegible,” comments Sandy Shin, VP of Marketing and Communications at Braille Institute.
