Braille Institute Launches New Award-Winning Typeface Designed To Improve Legibility For Readers With Low Vision

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In support of Low Vision Awareness month, Braille Institute has launched a custom typeface called "Atkinson Hyperlegible." This typeface was designed specifically to help with legibility and to improve readability for people with low vision. The typeface was named after Braille Institute's founder, Robert J. Atkinson. It was named the winner in the Graphic Design category of Fast Company's 2019 Innovation by Design Awards.

What makes Atkinson Hyperlegible unique is it breaks the traditional typographic approach of uniformity, and instead focuses on letterform distinction to increase character recognition, ultimately improving readability. "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 approaches these letters in a unique manner. It has differentiated these letters by putting a tail on the letter l and a hook on the top of the number 1, making each distinct from the other," said Craig Dobie, Founding Creative Director of Applied Design Works, the agency who led development of the new typeface.

Braille Institute has been helping those with vision loss for more than 100 years, and Atkinson Hyperlegible exemplifies their commitment and dedication to find new solutions to day-to-day challenges. "We remain determined to find new and innovative ways to help those with visual impairment," said Peter Mindnich, President of Braille Institute. "As the number of people experiencing vision loss increases, we know the need for our services will only be greater. We hope innovative solutions like our Atkinson Hyperlegible font will help people continue to maximize their remaining vision so they can stay active and independent."

Atkinson Hyperlegible consists of four fonts – standard, bold standard, italics and bold italics. The fonts are available for free for anyone to use, and can be downloaded at www.brailleinstitute.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," said Sandy Shin, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Braille Institute.

This press release was written using the Atkinson Hyperlegible font.

SOURCE Braille Institute of America

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