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Where theory meets practice: a critical comparison of research into identifying letters and craft knowledge of type design

This paper provides an original contribution to research on how we process letters by developing an interdisciplinary account, comparing and contrasting the differing perspectives of psychologists and designers. The analytical approach is applied to topics where there is some overlap in the psychological and design literature and identifies possible sources of misunderstandings, refines concepts, and interprets different approaches. Determining the areas where the approaches adopted by the two disciplines may be combined generates a more reliable and relevant set of knowledge. This work provides a basis for future research collaborations and enables designers to learn more about how we read in order to optimise their designs and it enables psychologists to consider what we read to increase the validity of their test material. This work therefore has relevance and informs academics across disciplines and provides guidance for typographic practice.