Designer Recreates Alphabet to Help Dyslexics Read

By
Jenn Savedge
Writer
  • University of Strathclyde
  • Ithaca College
Jenn Savedge is an environmental author and lecturer. She’s a former national park ranger who has written three books on eco-friendly living
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Jenn Savedge
Updated June 05, 2017
Dyslexia affects roughly 10 percent of the U.S. population. (Photo: fototip/Shutterstock).

For those who have dyslexia, the written word can be a jumble of letters and numbers that sometimes don't make sense. Often times, the confusion arises from the style and shape of the text. Letters such as "b and "d" or "c" and "e" look so similar to one another that they make words look like a confusing mess. So Dutch designer Christian Boer is redesigning the alphabet to help.

Dyslexie font

Boer is the designed behind a new font called Dyslexie, a font that he hopes will help eliminate confusion and make it easier for those with dyslexia — roughly 10 percent of the world's population — to read. To do this, he designed his font in a way that minimizes confusion and adds clarity between letters.

"With a heavy base line, alternating stick/tail lengths, larger-than-normal openings, and a semi-cursive slant, the dyslexia font ensures that each character has a unique form," according to the Dyslexie website. The default color for Dyslexie is dark blue as Boer found in his research that this color is easiest for dyslexics to read. Boer also designed the font so that some letter openings are larger, while slightly tilting some letters that closely resemble others — such as a "b" and a "d."

And check out this video to get a better idea of the design process that went into designing Dyslexie:

Boer's font works with both Apple and Microsoft-based systems, and it can be added to a Web browser as an extension. The font is free for home users and available for a fee to schools and businesses.

Related posts on learning and dyslexia on MNN:

Font image: Dyslexiefont.com