The Practical Approach
When designing print, a typographer is in fact involved in problem-solving. When one solution turns out to be ineffective, he will start over again and look for other options. Looking for better options should not just be a trial and error-process and this is certainly not the case with skilled designers. They draw upon experience and general knowledge to solve the problems effectively. The only knowledge they can use at such a moment are practical facts. This is what researchers should be able to provide them with. It means that practical facts should be generated using practically relevant methods. However unacademic some scientists might consider these methods to be, this requires user trials and surveys as ways to collect objective data. Only by reader- evaluation of existing hardcopy can we expect to understand the effect of a complex design on the intended users. This is how typographic research can adopt a more practical approach.