University of Central Florida: Monotype Joins Readability Consortium to Advance Global Readability Research
Monotype, one of the most recognized names in the world of fonts and typography, has teamed up with The Readability Consortium (TRC), a group of engineering, psychophysics, and design researchers focused on discovering what makes text faster, easier, and more comfortable to read. The TRC is housed at UCF and includes individuals from around the world.
“I’m gratified to see companies like Monotype investing in scientific understanding that has the potential to help the entire typography and design community,” says Ben Sawyer ’14MS ’15PhD, director of The Readability Consortium and a UCF alum.
Scientific research shows that readable formats can make a tangible difference in everyday tasks, accelerating reading while maintaining comprehension. This partnership is a milestone for TRC, coming as their format readability work extends into how fonts can reduce reader fatigue and increase engagement.
“We’re thrilled to announce our partnership with The Readability Consortium,” says Venkat Yetrintala, senior vice president and chief technology officer at Monotype. “With Monotype’s deep knowledge in typography and technology, we’re excited to collaborate with TRC to improve digital reading experiences for everyone. This partnership represents a unique opportunity to leverage our expertise and make a significant impact on how text is interacted with, both online and offline.”
Monotype is well known for its wide range of font offerings and deep understanding of typography. Their involvement in this partnership is a strategic move to build their own understanding in order to meaningfully improve people’s lives in real-world settings from the classroom to the emergency room.
“At Monotype we often talk about the power of type to express. We also understand that —at its core — type needs to communicate written content clearly and effectively,” says Tom Rickner, head of Monotype Studio. “We look forward to collaborating with The Readability Consortium to better understand what makes one type more readable than another, as we try to bring readability to all.”
The Readability Consortium’s existing members include Google, Adobe and the nonprofit Readability Matters.
“We’re thrilled to have Monotype expand our efforts to deliver the research necessary for the day-to-day use of readability-enhancing solutions worldwide,” says Marjorie Jordan, Readability Matters co-founder.
“Monotype has been a significant resource for many of the world’s biggest organizations,” says Dave Crossland, lead UX operations manager at Google Fonts. “Their work with MIT CTL (Center for Transportation and Logistics) in 2018 and 2020 on ‘glanceability’ was a meaningful step forward in the scientific understanding of reading. I am pleased to see them take the next step in joining The Readability Consortium and contributing to the community here.”
The MIT research into glanceable reading while driving was conducted by many of the same scientists who now conduct TRC’s investigations.
Along with these partnerships, TRC collaborates with a readability research community of over 200 stakeholders — including educators, researchers, designers and technologists, all of whom bring unique perspectives to the table. Their collective input helps ensure the TRC’s research is comprehensive, inclusive and truly representative of the diverse needs of readers worldwide. Readability community research includes studies into how text format impacts visual perception, brain activity, behavior and performance.
“Adobe is pleased to welcome Monotype to The Readability Consortium. We look forward to Monotype’s contributions to moving the readability work forward, and hope to see more forward-looking companies and institutions joining us,” says Rick Treitman, Adobe entrepreneur-in-residence, a founding member of the consortium.
Monotype joins the TRC as it researches the challenges and opportunities of global writing systems. Many of the world’s languages are often being overlooked in type research and design. TRC’s work seeks to extend to billions of readers existing research on readability in education and real-world applications.
“As font design becomes even more global, new research on readability and legibility is needed for each of the world’s writing systems, and I expect Monotype to play a significant role in the future of reading science,” Crossland says.
“Monotype are the stewards of many typefaces people know and love,” says Tobias Kunisch, design lead and cofounder of Google Fonts. “I’m very excited for them to join this crucial endeavor to help increase digital readability and literacy for everyone. With their participation and that of the other excellent members of The Readability Consortium, I believe we can have a lasting positive impact on the world.”