Matthew Carter Veerda Comparison

As a sans serif version of Georgia, Verdana was designed by the same designer, Matthew Carter, whose aim at developing a humanist sans serif typeface for ‘maximum readability at small sizes on-screen’ (Rawthorn, 2013, p.55). Bearing similarities to other humanist types, Verdana is a Super Normal typeface that takes the specific digital issues of clarity, legibility and readability into account. According to a study by the Software Usability and Research Laboratory at Wichita State University (2002), most of the selected participants preferred Verdana as the most legible typeface among numerous choices.

Analysis:

• Legibility

Counter: open and wide counters.

x-heights: very high ratio (75%).

Width and weight: with a wide proportion (X=75%),
In 1996, Verdana was bundled with subsequent versions of the Windows operating system, together with their software on Windows, which attributed its prevalence and popularity. After that, international brands, such as Delta Air Lines, IKEA and PayPal changed their official logotypes to Verdana, developing it as a ubiquitous element everywhere in life. Furthermore, inspired by Frutiger, Verdana shares the commonalities and enlarges the familiarity of not only Frutiger but also the humanist sans serif
However, due to the generous x-heights and loose letter-spacing, it seems bolder when compared with other typefaces in the same size. Moreover, it consumes extra space, which is especially important if it is used to replace another typeface, the overall design may change significantly.

• Aesthetics

Given a modern and technical voice, Verdana conveys a comprehension of openness and friendliness with a slightly funky personality. The design of Verdana features a pronounced x-height, wide proportions, generous letter-spacing and a bold weight with an organic structure. These characteristics are an aid in enhancing readability on low-resolution screen, but come across as rather crude and less professional in print.

Terminals: with a natural thick-thin swelling of the strokes, the terminals and endings of Verdana indicates a feeling of calligraphic style that constructs the letterforms easily to distinguish. Besides, the modulation is subtle and graceful without the extremes. The larger counters and special characteristics, such as, the hook on the ‘1’ and the left only arms on ‘j’ give the typeface a bit of extra character and structure, making it inspiring.

Axis: the axis of Verdana is not completely upright, slightly inclined to the left. This is one of the main reasons why Verdana seem so