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Fwd: Efficacy of ornamentation
Oops, sorry for the typos in my previous mail.
A bonus for our dutch-speaking fellows: http://i25.tinypic.com/2qvsbk7..jpg
(begin corrected version)
In early prints ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incunabulum ) , color was manually used to enhance te readability of the text after the text had been printed. The first letters of sentences were usually highlighted in red for readability reasons (notice the absence of space before the first letter in the attached picture). This is a sample from around 1450.
http://i27.tinypic.com/es2mfd.png
Adding illustrations and photos might make sense if they have an intrinsical value, complementing the textual content (often grayscale, by the way). But adding color in contemporary text for seems somewhat futile… drop shadows and glossy bevels are waiting around the corner.
Tristan
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Begin forwarded message:
From: tristan <trissss-AT-gmail.com">trissss-AT-gmail.com>Date: Tue 15 Sep 2009 23:14:04 GMT+02:00To: The Graphics List <graphics-AT-lists.graphicslist.org">graphics-AT-lists.graphicslist.org>Subject: Fwd: Efficacy of ornamentation
In early prints ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incunabulum ) , color was manually used to enhance te readability of the text after the text had been printed. The first letters of sentences were usually highlighted in red for readability reasons (notice the absence of space before the first letter in the attached picture). This is a sample from around 1450.
http://i27.tinypic.com/es2mfd.png
Adding illustrations and photos might make sense if they have an intrinsical value, complementing to the textual content (i'ts often done in black-white, by the way). But adding color in contemporary text for seems somewhat futile… drop shadows and glossy bevels are waiting around the corner.
Tristan
On 15 Sep 2009, at 16:35, KC Davenport wrote:
I think that, if the color (or ornamentation) helps to improve the readability of the page by highlighting important things, or organizing the information into understandable blocks or even relieving overly dense text, then it is a benefit. Admittedly, I don't usually see it used this way, but it CAN be.
For me the test is that, unless there are other issues of some kind, a page should work in B&W, even if color will improve comprehension/readability/accessibility/attractiveness. If it doesn't, then color is unlikely to fix it.
KC Davenport
On Sep 15, 2009, at 7:17 AM, Michael Brady wrote:
Are there any studies on how effective or ineffective the use of ornamental effects in layout are?
I'm interested specifically in whether adding color to a black and white page of text improves the readability of the text and the reader's comprehension.
Frequently clients (mostly from university departments, but some in other walks of life and lay folks, too) want to add color, photos, and illustrations to "engage the reader" or to "make it more accessible" (not referring to accessibility for readers who are visually impaired).
My instinct is that such claims are mostly spurious. They reflect the client's aspirations and they echo a supposed conventional wisdom (or meme, as everyone now says) that everyone buys into and then plays out as a self-fulfilling prophecy.
FWIW, my touchstone for this is to compare standard Montessori preschool classroom materials with "fun learning toys" with Barney, or Sponge Bob, or a unicorn character that accompanies the implement.
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Michael Brady
michaelb-AT-michaelbradydesign.com
http://considerthepreposition.blogspot.com/
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Re: Efficacy of ornamentation / Randal <digitas-AT-panix.com> / 27 Sep 2009
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