Alpabeto (Font designed for K-3)

Alpabeto

A Humanist Sans Serif Typeface for Primary School Learners ELDIARDO DE LA PEÑA

Alpabeto - A Humanist Sans Serif Typeface for Primary School Learners

Introduction:

“Alpabeto” is a new typeface that aims to enhance the reading and writing skills of primary school learners, specifically those from Kinder to Grade 3. Humanist sans serifs, structurally, have more in common with serif typefaces than sans serifs like grotesques and geometric sans. Humanist sans fonts usually have higher contrast than your typical sans serif. And just like serif typefaces for text, humanist sans, although lacking serifs, often work well for reading texts. The calligraphic influence is also visible in the construction of letterforms, the open counters, the angles in the connections between strokes. This makes the Humanist sans a better choice for reading than the Grotesques and Geometric sans serifs. As a humanist sans serif, Alpabeto combines traditional elements with a modern touch to create a typeface that is both visually appropriate and legible to children. This typeface is designed to help young learners develop their reading and writing skills by providing them with an enjoyable and accessible learning experience. The goal of this project is to propose a new typeface, Alpabeto, designed specifically for primary school learners (Kinder to Grade 3). The focus is on creating a font that helps improve reading and writing skills in children through its design features.

Background and Rationale:

Aren't reading and writing completely different skills? When a child learns to write, he writes letter by letter. Learning to write is thought to be located primarily in the psychomotor cortex (Bloom, 1956). It seems that the only way to learn to write, or already write, is to write letter by letter. Reading (primarily a cognitive skill) (Bloom, 1956), on the other hand, is understanding the meaning of words and sentences (British Society, 1913). The British Society for the Advancement of Science (1913) report on the influence of textbooks on vision points out that the best fonts for isolated glyphs are not necessarily the best for "whole words". Learning to write consists of learning to recognize and form individual letter shapes. On the contrary, the reading process involves recognizing whole words (British Society, 1913).

Studies have shown that font choice can impact reading and writing skills in children. Research has found that sans serif fonts with clear, open letterforms are easier for children to read and recognize than other font styles (Zorzi, M., & Gori, S., 2012). A font’s design, including letter spacing, line spacing, and letter shapes, can influence how easily children are able to process and retain information, thus impacting their literacy skills (Liu, L., & Smith, F. J., 2016).

Additionally, the current recommended font used in the development of learning materials for K-3 by the Department of Education which is “Alfabeto” has not undergone field testing and evaluation as part of the LR process. It also reveals copyright issues with its usage as the specimen of the typeface is derived from Century Gothic, which is under Monotype Foundry.

Design Features:

If we’re designing for preschool and elementary school children, we have to be careful because these are their first encounters with reading and writing. While it’s very easy (well, depending on the typeface) for adults to recognize an “a” in different styles (Figure 2), seeing it in cursive and print, serif and sans serif, very simple or very ornamented might confuse kids.

Sans serif fonts are designed “bare bones,” the form of the letters is made only by their skeleton, it’s the way we normally write when writing in print, we don’t add serifs to our letters. The design of children-friendly typography went even further with the introduction of the socalled infant characters. These characters were introduced in the 1920s and became more popular during the 1930s. What does infant character mean? These characters are variations on specific letters made to make them easier to read for children. The most common examples of such letters are single-story “a” and “g” (Figure 3). Here’s the difference.

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 1

Other common examples of infant characters are the uppercase “I” and the lowercase “i” (Figure 4) that in many sans serif fonts look almost identical. In their infant version, the “I” has serif and the “i” has a curved terminal.

Alpabeto is a humanist sans serif font that is designed with the needs of primary school learners in mind. The design features of Alpabeto include: (Figure 5)

1. Clear, open letterforms that are easy to recognize and distinguish.

2. Consistent letter spacing to aid in letter recognition and comprehension.

3. Large x-height to make lowercase letters more prominent and easier to read.

4. Round edges to make the letters appear friendly and approachable; and reduce visual stress.

5. Varied letter shapes to avoid monotony and keep the font visually interesting.

Figure 4

Figure 5

Related Works:

a) The Castledown Instructional Typeface Family was designed for use among young children learning to write and read at the Castledown Primary School in the United Kingdom. The typeface comes with three levels of instructional cues that direct students how to write letters in the proper stroke order. https://www.colophon-foundry.org/typefaces/castledown/ (accessed March 12, 2018).

b) Rosemary Sassoon, a designer for many years, has been mainly concerned with letterforms. In addition, she specialised in the educational and medical aspects of handwriting. After discovering that no one had found out what kind of letterforms children found easiest to read, she spent two years of research on the subject before designing the original Sassoon Primary typeface. Since 1985, in partnership with Type Designer Adrian Williams a whole range of font products for reading and handwriting education in schools has been developed. Suitable for representing handwritten letterforms, they are now used worldwide for the teaching of phonics, reading and handwriting.

c) Similarly, the Twinkl fonts were developed for educational use and in consultation with teachers. The Twinkl Handwriting Font is one of the few families found by the authors that was designed specifically to facilitate the process of learning to write among young children. It was developed in the UK in 2016 “with teachers and industry experts, the Twinkl Handwriting Font is aligned with the National Curriculum guidelines to aid the development of handwriting for children of all age groups.

d) The Heinemann fonts were designed by the in-house design team of Heinemann educational publishing. The focus was to create a highly legible font family for reading books and literacy products. The basic Heinemann type family has longer ascenders and descenders. This is very helpful for children to distinguish between letters. The clean and modern typeface with rounded edges helps readers focusing on the individual letters. The Heinemann Special font collection offers further modified characters and kerning pairs. The design team has created the Heinemann fonts in cooperation with teachers, literacy advisors, and of course with the help of children. After a long period of testing in schools and and learning institutions, the Heinemann fonts and are now available for everyone. The fonts work great for both print and digital media.

e) Alphablocks is a British animated television programme for preschoolers that debuted on CBeebies on 25 January 2010. The programme was created by Joe Elliot and produced by Alphablocks Ltd (Magic Lantern in series 1) with Blue Zoo.[1] It was commissioned by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The show follows the Alphablocks, characters made of blocks who represent each letter of the alphabet. They live in a fictional planet called Alphaland and embark on adventures relating to word concepts.

Conclusion:

Alpabeto, as a humanist sans serif font specifically designed for primary school learners, offers a promising solution to enhance reading and writing skills in young children. The font's research-based design features, including clear, open letterforms, consistent letter spacing, large x-height, round edges, and varied letter shapes, address the specific needs of young learners.

By providing easily recognizable and distinguishable letterforms, Alpabeto facilitates letter recognition and comprehension. The consistent letter spacing ensures a smooth reading experience, reducing cognitive load and increasing reading fluency. The large x-height emphasizes lowercase letters, which are predominant in early literacy development, making them more prominent and easier to read.

The friendly and approachable nature of Alpabeto, achieved through its rounded edges, helps create a positive and welcoming learning environment for children. This aspect is vital as it fosters engagement and motivation, encouraging children to actively participate in their reading and writing activities.

By combining evidence-based design principles with a visually appealing and modern aesthetic, Alpabeto has the potential to become a valuable tool for educators and students in primary schools. It aims to support and enhance the literacy journey of young learners, contributing to their overall educational success.

Through the introduction of Alpabeto, we can empower primary school learners with a typeface designed to optimize their reading and writing experiences, ultimately promoting their literacy skills and nurturing a love for learning.

Recommendations:

The recommendations outlined above provide guidance for various stakeholders involved in primary education, including teachers, school principals, curriculum developers, learning resources supervisors, type designers, and learners. By implementing these recommendations, educational institutions can optimize the reading and writing experiences of primary school learners. Further research is warranted to explore the long-term effects of font choice on literacy development and to evaluate the effectiveness of Alpabeto in different educational contexts. Continued collaboration between researchers, educators, and designers will contribute to the ongoing improvement and innovation of typefaces specifically tailored for young readers.

A. For Teachers:

Teachers should consider incorporating Alpabeto into their teaching materials and classroom resources to enhance the reading and writing experiences of primary school learners. They should provide opportunities for students to practice using Alpabeto in various literacy activities, such as worksheets, reading materials, and interactive learning platforms. Additionally, teachers can raise awareness about the importance of font choice in literacy development among their colleagues and promote the use of Alpabeto within the school community.

B. For School Heads:

School heads should encourage the adoption of Alpabeto as the primary font for all educational materials and communication within the school. They should collaborate with teachers and provide necessary support to ensure a smooth transition to using Alpabeto across the curriculum. Principals can also organize professional development sessions for teachers to familiarize them with the font's design principles and its potential impact on students' reading and writing skills.

C. For Curriculum Developers:

Curriculum developers should consider integrating font choice as a deliberate design element when creating literacy materials for primary school learners. They should recognize the impact of fonts on readability and comprehension and explore the use of fonts like Alpabeto that align with research-based design principles. Collaboration with type designers and educators can ensure that fonts like Alpabeto are included in the curriculum development process.

D. For Learning Resources Supervisors:

Learning resources supervisors should review and select educational materials that utilize Alpabeto as the primary font for primary school learners. They should provide guidelines and recommendations to publishers and content creators to encourage the use of fonts that have been designed specifically for young readers. By prioritizing the selection of materials that align with research on font readability, learning resources supervisors can help ensure optimal learning experiences for students.

E. For Type Designers:

Type designers should continue to research and develop fonts that specifically cater to the needs of primary school learners. They should consider the design principles exhibited by Alpabeto, such as clear letterforms, consistent spacing, large x-height, and rounded edges, when creating typefaces for educational purposes. Collaboration with educators and researchers can help refine the design process and create fonts that have a positive impact on children's reading and writing skills.

F. For Learners:

Primary school learners can benefit from familiarizing themselves with Alpabeto and practicing reading and writing using this font. They can actively engage with Alpabeto in classroom activities, homework assignments, and online platforms. Learners should be encouraged to provide feedback on their experiences with the font, enabling continuous improvement and refinement in its design and implementation.

References:

Liu, L., & Smith, F. J. (2016). The influence of font style on reading speed and comprehension of digital text. Computers & Education, 95, 113-126.

Zorzi, M., & Gori, S. (2012). The influence of font and letter spacing on reading speed in a shallow orthography. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 74(4), 682-696.

Mooney, Aoife & Martens, Marianne & Rinnert, Gretchen. (2018). Energetic Alpha: Co-Designing a Tool that Encourages Three- to Six-Year-Olds to Develop Handwriting Skills. Dialectic. 2. 10.3998/dialectic.14932326.0002.109.

Wilkins, Arnold & Cleave, Roanna & Grayson, Nicola & Wilson, Louise. (2009). Typography for children may be inappropriately designed. Journal of Research in Reading. 32. 402 - 412. 10.1111/j.14679817.2009.01402.x.

Bessemans, Ann. (2016). Typefaces for Children's Reading. TMG Journal for Media History. 19. 1. 10.18146/2213-7653.2016.268.

Mooney, Aoife & Martens, Marianne & Rinnert, Gretchen. (2018). Energetic Alpha: Co-Designing a Tool that Encourages Three- to Six-Year-Olds to Develop Handwriting Skills. Dialectic. 2. 10.3998/dialectic.14932326.0002.109.

Cantuni, Rubens. “Designing digital products for kids Deliver user experiences that delight kids, parents and teachers”. Apress, 2020. Print.

Petzold, D. (2013, December 31). Heinemann Special Fonts Collection. WE AND THE COLOR. https://weandthecolor.com/heinemann-special-fonts-colection/29643

Elms Pastel, B. (2011). Are children sensitive to typeface design? An analysis of research (1911–2010). Master dissertation, Department of Typography & Graphic Communication, University of Reading

Alphablocks - The Alphablocks guide to phonics. “Alphablocks - the Alphablocks Guide to Phonics.” Bbc.co.uk, 8 Apr. 2020, www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/the-alphablocks-guide-to-phonics.