Some influences on legibility: who or what has changed notions of legibility through time?

Changes in the notion of legibility are explored through three case studies sampling different time periods from the early nineteenth century to the twenty-first century. These cover three languages, two scripts, and professions such as printers, doctors, educators, and scientists. The professions and the historical, scientific, and technological contexts have shaped conceptions of legibility as: good typographic and printing practice (seeking perfection); the hygienic quality of schoolbooks; and the outcomes of scientific research. Along with different
notions of legibility, notable similarities emerge involving the importance of eyesight, effects of the characteristics of the medium (paper or screen), and which typographic variables are considered important.