I’m skeptical, but here’s a free font designed by researchers at RMIT University in Australia. The typeface supposedly helps people remember what they’ve read by making the glyphs just illegible enough to force readers to concentrate a little harder than they otherwise might.
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Interesting. There is a system of thought I’ve studied which divides human functions up into categories characterized as “the work of centers.” So within the human mechanism, among others, there are a thinking center (intellect), an emotional center (‘heart’ and/or ‘gut’), and a moving center (‘muscle memory’). A fundamental example that illustrates this is when we learn to do anything physical, such as walking or riding a bicycle. At the beginning, one must entrust the task to the thinking center, applying methods that have been explained by teachers, and consciously issuing commands to body parts. Through repetition, eventually the moving center learns the task, and because it is extremely more efficient (than the thinking center) when it comes to control of body parts, the task becomes effectively “second nature,” no longer requiring thought. Remember learning to drive a car?
When considered in this context, it’s pretty obvious that we have evolved in such a way that reading, especially mundane or routine reading, is strictly a moving center function. It’s happened to all of us; the mind (thinking center) wanders during reading (moving center), and we go back to the start of a paragraph realizing we have no idea what we just read.
Interestingly, much of the very material that presents this study of functions is written purposely in such a way that the moving center finds it difficult to process, and the thinking center is compelled to get involved, increasing the likelihood of thorough comprehension. The design of this font seems to be rooted in a similar principle.
Yes, I think you’re right. I’d be interested in reading more about this theory you’ve mentioned. I’ll need to look into it.
Assuming this is how it works, this typeface might work for awhile. However, after two or three weeks of getting used to it, recognizing the letters would largely become a moving center function and the learning/memory benefit would be lost as recognizing the letters would be as effortless as reading, say, Times Roman or Helvetica.
Great, another horrible stencil font …to forget about.
It’s a relatively small portion, but important underlying principle, of this formidable can of worms:
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I seem to be able to read it fine … so that’s a good thing I assume 