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===Difference From Font===
In order fully understand the discussion of how typeface impacts a form, one should know the difference between typeface and [[font]]. However, it is also important to understand that font and typeface are used interchangeably by some authors and designers.<ref name=glossary13>“The"The Typographer’s Glossary: Common Type Terminology” (''Font Shop'', 2010)", 13.</ref> Most simply, “a font is what you use, and a typeface is what you see.”<ref>Ibid.< name=glossary13/ref>
====Typeface====
In “The Typographer’s Glossary,” a glossary of terms for those interested in form and document creating and editing, typeface is defined as: “An artistic interpretation, or design, of a collection of alphanumeric symbols.”<ref name=glossary26>Ibid."The Typographer’s Glossary", 26.</ref> Typeface includes “letters, numerals, punctuation, various symbols, and more.<ref>Ibid.< name=glossary26/ref> The relationship between typeface and font occurs because “a typeface is usually grouped together in a family containing individual fonts for italic, bold, and other variations of the primary design.”<ref>Ibid.< name=glossary26/ref>
====Font====
“The Typographer’s Glossary” defines font as “a collection of letters, numbers, punctuation, and other sybols used to set text (or related) matter.”<ref>Ibid., 13.<name=glossary13/ref> To further explain, “font refers to the physical embodiment…while typeface refers to the design.<ref>Ibid.< name=glossary13/ref>
===Appropriate Selection===
Jo Mackiewicz, from the Composition and Linguistics Department of the University of Minnesota Duluth, has done extensive research into typeface and has published multiple articles on the topic.<ref>Jo Mackiewicz, “What Technical Writing Students Should Know About Typeface Personality” (''Journal of Technical Writing and Communication'', 34, nos. 1 & 2, 2004), 131.</ref> Mackiewicz says that students should “select typefaces that are appropriate for their technical documents.”<ref>Ibid.Mackiewicz (2004), 114</ref> What Mackiewicz means when she talks about an “appropriate typeface” is that it contributes to the desired “overall rhetorical effect” and conveys “more specific effects…as intended.”<ref name=mackiewicz118>Ibid.Mackiewicz (2004), 118.</ref> In another article, Mackiewicz points out that “typefaces substantially contribute to the visual, as opposed to the verbal, language of documents.”<ref>Jo Mackiewicz, “How to Use Five Letterforms to Gauge a Typeface’s Personality: A Research-Driven Method” (''Journal of Technical Writing and Communication'', 35, no. 3, 2005), 291.</ref> This is important, since it has already been established that professional technical communicators see their role as largely visual as compared to verbal.<ref>Brumberger, “Visual Communication,” 386.</ref>
===Personality===
In selecting an appropriate typeface, Mackiewicz focuses on what she calls “typeface personality.” She researches other technical communicators’ works to come up with a definition of typeface personality as “that aspect of typeface that imbues it ‘with the power to evoke in the perceiver certain emotional and cognitive responses’” and “the ability to convey different feelings and moods…strength, elegance, agitation, silliness, friendliness, scariness, and other moods.”<ref>Mackiewicz, “What(2004),” 113.</ref> Mackiewicz further explains that “increased attention to typeface personality is especially important now that students have access to thousands of typefaces, many of which can detract from or conflict with the seriousness, professionalism, and competency that students intend to convey.”<ref>Ibid.Mackiewicz (2004), 128.</ref> The selection of typeface is also important in situations where more than one typeface is present in a form or document. Mackiewicz says, “if more than one typeface is being used within a document, students should also carefully consider the extent to which the personalities of the typefaces they have selected are concordant.”<ref>Ibid., 118.<name=mackiewicz118/ref>
====History====
One way that Mackiewicz notes that technical communicators can determine a typeface’s personality is through looking at its history; she says, “the personality a typeface conveys may stem in large part from the ways in which that typeface has been used in the past.”<ref name=mackiewicz121>Ibid.Mackiewicz (2004), 121.</ref> To show what she means, Mackiewicz notes that the typeface Fette Fraktur is rarely used today because it was used in Nazi propaganda from 1933 to 1945.<ref>Ibid.< name=mackiewicz121/ref> Because of situations like the one involving Fette Fraktur, Mackiewicz points out “the ways in which a typeface has been used [in the past] can influence the overall affect of a student’s document and, consequently, it can send an unintended message.”<ref>Ibid.< name=mackiewicz121/ref>
===Impressions on Readers===
As in every stage of form and document design, technical communicators must be constantly aware of the impressions of design decision on the reader. Pamela W. Henderson, Joan L. Giese, and Joseph A. Cote, faculty in the Department of Marketing at Washington State University, point out that “it is important to determine the impact of the impressions created by typeface.”<ref>Pamela W. Henderson, Joanet Lal. Giese, and Joseph A. Cote, “Impression Management Using Typeface Design” (''Journal of Marketing'' 68, 2004), 60, 71.</ref> Henderson, Giese, and Cote’s research also shows “that individual differences [in typeface] can affect attentiveness to aesthetics,” or the pleasing effect of the form or document.<ref>IbidHenderson et al., 71.</ref>
The ''Font Shop'' professionals also have a warning concerning typeface and its impression on readers. They recommend “[avoiding] the embarrassment of typographic rejection by first determining the likes and dislikes of your target audience.”<ref>“Meet Your Type,” 18.</ref>
Additionally, Jo Mackiewicz recommends technical communicators consider typefaces that are both legible and readable. Her research has shown that legible typefaces have “the quality of being ‘decipherable and recognizable’” and are important “‘in situations where people are scanning pages, reading signs, or skimming through catalogs or lists.’”<ref>Mackiewicz, “What,” 118.<name=mackiewicz118/ref> One example of a legible typeface is Univers, while an illegible typeface example would be Snap ITC.<ref name=mackiewicz119>Ibid.Mackiewicz (2004), 119.</ref> On the other hand, typefaces that are readable have “the quality of giving ‘visual comfort,’ which is especially important in long stretches of text.”<ref>Ibid., 118.<name=mackiewicz118/ref> Mackiewicz show an example of a readable passage of text in Times New Roman typeface and an example of a less readable passage of text in Impact typeface.<ref>Ibid., 119.<name=mackiewicz119/ref> Legibility and readability are important aspects of typeface to consider if the reader is going to be required to read and comprehend a large amount of text.
===Serif vs. Sans Serif===
One aspect of typeface selection to consider is whether or not to use [[serif]] or [[Sans-serif|sans serif]] typefaces. Serif typefaces are “based on the carvings of the ancient Romans” and “feature small ‘feet’ at the end of the letterforms.”<ref name=myt12>”Meet Your Type,” 12.</ref> Jo Mackiewicz points out that “traditionally, serif typefaces have been used for the body text of technical (as well as other) documents because they seem to be more readable than sans serif typefaces.”<ref name=mackiewicz117>Mackiewicz, “What(2004),” 117.</ref> On the other hand, sans serif typefaces “were designed for the industrial age” and are “hard-working and modern, with no need for fancy serifs.”<ref>”Meet Your Type,” 12.<name=myt12/ref> Sans serif typefaces “are often used in ‘display’ elements like headings, diagrams, and tables.”<ref>Mackiewicz, “What,” 117.<name=mackiewicz117/ref> Based on this information, technical communicators are advised to “pair a serif and sans serif” in their forms or documents.<ref>”Meet Your Type,” 23.</ref>
===Electronic Selection===
Because of the prevalence of computers and other electronic media in the modern world, there are some special considerations for forms and documents that will be online. New typefaces are being developed specifically for forms and documents to be presented electronically. ClearType, developed by Microsoft in 1998 “to improve the legibility of typefaces viewed on LCD displays,” encompasses seven of these new typefaces.<ref name=chaparro37>B.S. Chaparro et al., “Comparing the Legibility of Six ClearType Typefaces to Verdana and Times New Roman” (''Information Design Journal'' 18, no. 2, 2010), 37.</ref> These new typefaces were “designed for online reading of business documents, email, and web pages.”<ref>Ibid.< name=chaparro37/ref> However, after a study of online legibility with ClearType, Times New Roman, and Verdana typefaces, the researchers concluded “that it is not the technology alone that dictates legibility, as some of the ClearType typefaces were more legible than other ClearType typefaces and one of the non-ClearType typefaces.<ref>IbidChaparro et al., 46.</ref> Thus, the technical communicator creating an online document should carefully analyze the readability of the typeface selected for his or her form or document.
===Case Study: Times New Roman===
In order to see how the various typeface aspects work together for typeface selection, look at the [[Times New Roman]] typeface. Mackiewicz notes that its letterforms “display complexity and perfection.”<ref name=mackiewicz308>Mackiewicz, “How(2005),” 308.</ref> She also lists features of the Times New Roman typeface that make it professional in personality: “moderate weight, moderate thick-to-thin transition, balanced straight-edged and rounded terminals, moderate x-height to cap-height ratio, uppercase ''J'' that sits on the baseline, horizontal crossbar on the ''e'' letterform, double-story ''a'' letterform, and double-story ''g'' letterform.”<ref>Ibid.< name=mackiewicz308/ref> Reid Goldsborough, a syndicated newspaper columnist, provides the history of the Times New Roman typeface. Times New Roman “was commissioned by the British newspaper The Times in 1931,” and in 2004, the U.S. State Department “mandated that all U.S. diplomatic documents use Times New Roman instead of the previous Courier New.”<ref>Reid Goldsborough, “Fun with Fonts: Selection of Typeface Can Get Message Across” (''Community College Week'', 2008), 15.</ref> In Jo Mackiewicz’s study of typefaces, “one participant said that Times New Roman could be used in ‘any lengthy passages that need good readability.”<ref>Mackiewicz, “How(2005),” 300.</ref> Finally, in a study that evaluated Times New Roman against the newer ClearType typefaces, it was found that no participants confused Times New Roman letterforms with Times New Roman numbers, symbols, or other letterforms.<ref>Chaparro et al., “Comparing,” 44.</ref> Based on these observations, a technical communicator could determine that Times New Roman would be an effective typeface for a form or document if the purpose was professional, the document was being read in any format, and reader readability was required.
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==Evaluation==
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