As of late, we’ve noticed more type design projects that elevate curiosity about what it’s like to live and read with low vision. Unlike the thinking and work arising from the ethos of universal design, this new crop of work is less about being universal to the maximum number of people. It is more about maximizing variability for a variety of distinctly individual challenges.
As with Applied Design Works’ collaboration with the Braille Institute on Atkinson Hyperlegible in 2021 and, more recently, Typotheque’s Zed typeface and others, Pablo Navarlaz set out with his final degree project, Frecuencias Divergentes, to “improve the reading experience for people with low vision through typography.”
What began as a question for Navarlaz—Could I create a typeface that could better leverage individual capabilities?— soon turned into a deep research exercise. He combed through findings from two centuries of legibility studies but found a lack of consensus, contradictory results, and missing typography expertise. “There was a lot of chaos within the research,” said Navarlaz.
“I also noticed that there is always an attempt to standardize the term legibility as if there were a typeface with superior legibility and configuration,” explained Navarlaz. “This is a mistake because each person has a different background, different visual conditions, and different environments where they perform best, and we cannot assume that what works best for the majority should be the standard, as this would marginalize many people.”
It was a massive endeavor, so Navarlaz had to narrow his approach. He started with variable typeface as a baseline, to which he explored classic variables (weight, width, and contrast) because he said, “They are the main variables that modify the relationship between black and white (we don’t just read the “black” but also the white, the paper).” To the three classic variables, he added in x-height (a key factor for legibility, generally). Navarlaz also looked at Dwiggins’ “m-formula,” being interested in the late designer’s work. (Dwiggins posited that flat and angular planes were more expressive in smaller use cases than their curved counterparts.)
As a test case, Navarlaz created the typeface Ivy Flex. He readily admits that it is not the most legible typeface ever designed. “Claiming that would be contrary to the project,” he said. “It is simply a sample of the methodology I propose in Frecuencias Divergentes. The methodology is based on avoiding standards, offering as many adjustments as possible so that the best option can be found for each context.”
Navarlaz doesn’t have plans to sell the typeface or stop his research, saying:
I believe the project helps to raise awareness and clarify certain issues, warn about others, and propose alternatives. The methodologies I propose are just the beginning, and I would like to see more people working on and exploring the subject, as it has many possibilities and great potential to help many people.
Pablo Navarlaz
Frecuencias Divergentes has won awards at the ei! awards at Elisava Barcelona School of Design and Engineering and Brut! 2024.
Learn more about Pablo Navarlaz and his thesis project.