The Cognitive Type Project -- Mapping Typography to Cognition
Nik Bear Brown
TL;DR
The Cognitive Type Project addresses the problem of mapping typography to cognition to optimize reading, recall, and engagement. It proposes a multi-pronged approach that builds public datasets linking type anatomy with eye-tracking and cognitive measures, and develops foundational tools including Metafont-based glyph generation, variable fonts, and generative models, culminating in an open-source text-to-type capability. A key contribution is the integration of a large-scale glyph dataset and latent-feature learning via approaches such as $β$-VAE to understand typography semantics. The work aims to democratize cognitive typography research, accelerate experimentation, and provide typography software with concrete cognitive metrics to guide design decisions.
Abstract
The Cognitive Type Project is focused on developing computational tools to enable the design of typefaces with varying cognitive properties. This initiative aims to empower typographers to craft fonts that enhance click-through rates for online ads, improve reading levels in children's books, enable dyslexics to create personalized type, or provide insights into customer reactions to textual content in media. A significant challenge in research related to mapping typography to cognition is the creation of thousands of typefaces with minor variations, a process that is both labor-intensive and requires the expertise of skilled typographers. Cognitive science research highlights that the design and form of letters, along with the text's overall layout, are crucial in determining the ease of reading and other cognitive properties of type such as perceived beauty and memorability. These factors affect not only the legibility and clarity of information presentation but also the likability of a typeface.