HOW NEWSPAPERS HAVE SHAPED HOW WE READ.

HOW NEWSPAPERS HAVE SHAPED HOW WE READ. David Ogilvy, the legendary advertising man, objected to the use of unusual typefaces in the text of ads–he wanted no use of letters without serifs, for example. He contended that if you wanted a consumer to read the text, it should be in the same typefaces that they are accustomed to in magazines and newspapers. Nicholas Lander had an article in the weekend Financial Times about an interview with Mike Dempsey, an expert graphic designer. The subject was restaurant menus. Dempsey used criteria based on newspapers to analyze sample menus: “Both newspapers and magazines use headlines and then the body of the text, always structured in one of three definitive forms, to allow their readers to easily find what they are looking for. I think too many menus have drifted away from these principles and as a result many appear visually confusing.” The goal is to make it “easier for the eye to take in what’s on the page.” I wonder what will happen when eyes are accustomed to get information from a computer screen rather than a page of newsprint.