Dyslexia, a “reading disability that occurs when the brain does not properly distinguish and process certain symbols,” affects concerning one in five students, despite of gender and socioeconomic background. Many dyslexics return and reverse letters that appear similar. Noting habits like text-switching and realizing the dire need for a possible blanket solution, designer Christian Boer decided to take matters into his own hands.
Stylistic differences in fonts may seem to survive solely for aesthetic purposes, but the hundreds of different designs have additional functions as well. A typeface with serifs has “short lines stemming from and at an angle to the upper and lower ends of the strokes of a letter.” Otherwise known as “feet,” Times New Roman is an admired example of a font with serifs. Sans-serif fonts, like Comic sans. Serif texts are generally easier to read on paper because they allow the eye to development across a page in a straight line, while sans-serif texts are more appropriate for reading words on computer screens.
For his master’s thesis, Boer strove to generate a font that both bridged the gap between paper and monitor, and gave relief to dyslexics. Called “Dyslexie,” the font ensures that mirror characters—such as ‘b’ and‘d’—are written just slightly reflections. There is no known cure for dyslexia and Boer himself is obstinate that his font is not misconstrued as such. He calls Dyslexie a “wheelchair” that can help get better reading accuracy and patience. Already receiving much media attention and positive comment from dyslexics and non-dyslexics alike, there is no denying that Christian Boer’s creation may become a necessary element for language progression.