cross-cultural study on typefaces/fonts

["Sean Hower" <hokumhome -at- freehomepage -dot- com>]

Hi gang.

So, I was busy digesting some piece of information about the way a particular font made people feel, the emotions that it evoked. It got me wondering whether such reactions were learned or if the design was tapping into some subconscious perception. Which, then in turn, got me wondering whether a particular typeface/font would trigger the same reactions across cultures. I'm not talking about perceiving something to be easier to read. I'm talking about pure emotional reactions such as "When I see that font, I think elegance" or "When I see that font, I think of authority." This then got me thinking about what it is about a particular typeface that evokes these reactions......is it the line height, the weight, the style of serif? It would be easy to say it's a combination of all three, but what is it, individually, that creates these reactions?

So, has anyone come across a book or study that examines this sort of thing. Something along the lines of psychology of colors but for typefaces/fonts? Has anyone run into any cross-cultural studies that examined the emotions that fonts evoked? A comparative study would be great.

This isn't for any particular job; it's just for my own interest.

Thanks.



********************************************
Sean Hower - communications specialist
http://www.sean-hower.com










_____________________________________________________________
Create your own web site for FREE at http://www.freehomepage.com
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or 
printed documentation. Features include single source authoring, team authoring,
Web-based technology, and PDF output. http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList

Now shipping: Help & Manual 4 with RoboHelp(r) import! New editor,
full Unicode support. Create help files, web-based help and PDF in up
to 106 languages with Help & Manual: http://www.helpandmanual.com

---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- 

To unsubscribe send a blank email to 
techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40web.techwr-l.com


To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com

Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.