Decoder + Dyslectic

Dyslectic was designed to ease reading difficulties for people with dyslexia. Building on the work done by Christian Boer with his typeface Dyslexie, designer Ashley Linch created a serif-inspired interpretation of the base of Dyslexie combined with new research of recent dyslexia discoveries. In addition to a typeface that eases dyslexia, Linch created a contrasting typeface called Decoder that simulates the decoding process of dyslexia. This typeface is meant to simulate dyslexia for those who are non-dyslexic.

Since the creation of the first dyslexia-friendly typeface, Dyslexie in 2008, no new innovation to a dyslexic typeface has been made and many non-dyslexic users find it disrupting to read. The challenge was to create a serif version of a dyslexia-friendly typeface that would be used for the International Dyslexia Association’s newspaper and would not disrupt non-dyslexic readers. The Decoder typeface was also created as the headlines for the IDA newspaper, but the goal was to simulate the decoding process and still be readable.

Dyslectic implements four different letterform choices to help ease dyslexic word processing: unique forms, weighted letterform bottoms, underlying diagonals, and extra space for end punctuation. The unique forms are the most important principle to help ease dyslexic reading because it counters the “Mirroring Effect” that people with dyslexia often struggle with.