Visual Perception and Contemporary Portuguese Type Design

Abstract

A high-quality typeface – especially one for reading long texts – should take into consideration different constraints on visual perception. In this paper, I seek to analyze, understand and summarize these constraints as a set of principles, visually supported by the work of two Portuguese type designers.

This is done based on the following three aspects: (a) Psychology and human beings’ need to assign order and sense to things; (b) Physics and biology and the need for balance experienced by any human being, the origins of which can be found partly in the law of gravity and partly in the upright position humans move around in; (c) Western culture and the establishment of the left-to-right writing and reading direction. Observing the way in which Mário Feliciano and Rui Abreu apply these principles is useful as it enables us to see how the principles are implemented and demonstrates that the designers do so carefully and creatively.