Perception of fonts: Perceived personality traits and uses

Often credited with creating first impressions, fonts are typically classified according to unique typographical features (serif, sans serif, etc) and overall appearance. The combination of appearance and typographical features often lead graphic artists and typographers to describe typefaces using personality traits (.less cuddly, more assertive, Berry, 2004). In a BBC audio program (Peacock, 2005), fonts were depicted as feminine and masculine, among other traits. Feminine fonts were described as fine, serifed, sleek, and elegant; masculine fonts were characterized as being blocky and bold. This study sought to determine if certain personalities and uses are associated with various fonts. Using an online survey, participants rated the personality of 20 fonts using 15 adjective pairs. In addition, participants viewed the same 20 fonts and selected which uses were most appropriate. Results suggested that personality traits are indeed attributed to fonts based on their design family (Serif, Sans-Serif, Modern, Monospace, Script/Funny) and are associated with appropriate uses. Implications of these results to the design of online materials and websites are discussed

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

The effects of line length on reading online news

This study examined the effects of line length on reading speed, comprehension, and user satisfaction of online news articles. Twenty college-age students read news articles displayed in 35, 55, 75, or 95 characters per line (cpl) from a computer monitor. Results showed that passages formatted with 95 cpl resulted in faster reading speed. No effects of line length were found for comprehension or satisfaction, however, users indicated a strong preference for either the short or long line lengths

The Effects of Line Length on Reading Performance of Online News Articles

Previous research has shown that typographical factors of online text may influence its readability. This study examines the effects of line length on reading speed, comprehension, and user satisfaction of online news articles. Twenty college-age students read news articles displayed in 35, 55, 75, or 95 characters per line (cpl) from a computer monitor. Comprehension was assessed using six question types – title, main idea, main factual, structure, incidental, and recognition (Dyson & Haselgrove, 2001). Results showed that passages formatted with 95 cpl resulted in faster reading speed. Structure questions were found to be more challenging overall when compared to factual and other lower-level questions. Overall satisfaction was not affected by line length; however, users indicated a strong preference for the extreme line lengths

The Legibility of ClearType Fonts

This article introduces six new ClearType fonts (Cambria, Constantia, Corbel, Candara, Calibri, and Consolas) developed by Microsoft. Legibility of the font lowercase letters, digits, and symbols was compared to two traditional fonts, Times New Roman and Verdana. Results show that the legibility, as measured by the number of correct identifications of briefly presented characters, was highest for the new fonts Consolas and Cambria, and lowest for Candara and Corbel. Old style numerals, such as 0,1, and 2, used in Constantia, Candara, and Corbel resulted in confusion with the letters o, l, and z. Several symbols in Times New Roman were confused with both letters and other symbols

The Legibility of Cleartype Fonts

This article introduces six new ClearType fonts (Cambria, Constantia, Corbel, Candara, Calibri, and Consolas) developed by Microsoft. Legibility of the font lowercase letters, digits, and symbols was compared to two traditional fonts, Times New Roman and Verdana. Results show that the legibility, as measured by the number of correct identifications of briefly presented characters, was highest for the new fonts Consolas and Cambria, and lowest for Candara and Corbel. Old style numerals, such as 0,1, and 2, used in Constantia, Candara, and Corbel resulted in confusion with the letters o, l, and z. Several symbols in Times New Roman were confused with both letters and other symbols

Personality of Cleartype Fonts

Substantial research regarding typeface persona has not been conducted for onscreen media. Previous research indicates that printed typefaces have associated personas and have the potential to create meanings that extend beyond the printed text. This study examined six new ClearType fonts and six existing fonts representing serif, sans serif, and monospaced font groups. Fonts were examined using 15 personality pairs through an online survey. Results indicated that serif fonts were characterized as more traditional in personality; sans serif fonts were perceived as more casual; and monospaced fonts were described as plain and dull. Overall, this study makes an initial attempt to establish perceived onscreen personas common fonts while evaluating the newest Microsoft fonts

Examining the Legibility of Two New ClearType Fonts

This article introduces six new ClearType fonts developed by Microsoft. Legibility of two of the serif fonts, Cambri and Constantia, is compare to the traditional serif font Times New Roman. Results show that the legibility, as measured by the number of correct identifications of briefly presented characters, was highest for the new font Cambria, followed by Constantia, and then Times New Roman. Old style digits, such as 0, 1, and 2, used in Constantia resulted in confusion with the letters o, l, and z. Times New Roman symbols were with confused with both letters and other symbols

The Effect of Typeface on the Perception of Email

This study investigated the effect a font has on the reader\u27s perception of an email. Based on a previous study by Shaikh, Chaparro, and Fox (2006), a sample email was presented in three fonts (Calibri, Comic Sans, and Gigi). The three chosen fonts represented a high, medium, and low level of congruency for email messages. The least congruent typeface (Gigi) resulted in different perceptions of the email document and its author. However, no significant differences were found between the moderately and highly congruent fonts