To start, let’s introduce the term as it is used in graphic arts:
- UPPERCASE (Capital letters)
- lowercase (Small letters)
- Upper and Lowercase (Capitals and small letters)
Many people don’t know it, but this is how designers refer to letters. Let’s say it’s professional jargon, and I can’t escape it. For me it’s even hard to write capitals or small letters.
That said, let’s get to the point: when should and can we use each of the three forms of writing mentioned above? Many will say that writing in uppercase is rude, because it means you are shouting, but this is a relatively new interpretation of the matter. It is said because of netiquette, or internet etiquette. I’m not sure the term is still used, or whether anyone still explains it to their kids, but as soon as the internet appeared, and with it the possibility of exchanging text messages without sending a telegram, everyone learned that writing in uppercase was SHOUTING.
But what about science?
This article is about something I learned long before the internet became a presence in our lives. Right when I started my career in graphic design, my boss forbade me from writing anything in all caps. Everything had to be written in upper and lowercase, whether titles, subheadings, signs, forms or anything else. It seemed strange at first, since using all caps in titles was very common, and I decided to ask why.
He told me that upper and lowercase text is more legible. Studies had proven that we read text by recognizing the shape of words. That is why we can read a text with letters swapped around or even numbers in place of certain letters, as long as the words have the right length and the beginning and end match the correct version. In addition, lowercase letters have more “personality” in their design than capital letters, helping us recognize words and increasing reading speed.
This information completely changed my education as a Graphic Designer. From then on I understood that the Designer’s role is to make sure information reaches the reader in the best possible way, not in the prettiest way. Of course aesthetics matter, but they are of no use to the content if they aren’t used to enhance it. Many designers have forgotten this and do their work caring only about making something prettier.
Uppercase or lowercase. What to do about it?
So, since my days as an intern, I have been explaining to people that, contrary to what is believed, all caps does not give more legibility; on the contrary, it gives less. One example of this study being applied is road signs. Practically all the text on road signs is written in upper and lowercase. Legibility is essential for road safety. Note that signs in all caps are only found in small towns, where the people responsible for making them probably have no idea what legibility is.
The strangest thing is people’s resistance to this information. Because there are countless signs and storefronts made in all caps, people tend to believe that this is correct.
The first objection that comes up is that the text will be smaller in upper and lowercase. I always have to explain that it is exactly the opposite: it gets larger. Let’s write the same word both ways to see what happens.
BAKERY
Bakery
You will say: see, it got smaller! I explain: usually the problem with writing on signs is the width of the sign. If we take the same width for both examples, the text written in upper and lowercase will be about 25% larger. See the example beside.
So I keep explaining to all clients, colleagues and readers that writing in upper and lowercase is a matter of science.
And you? Do you prefer writing in uppercase or lowercase?
