Title: Onscreen English font personality: an exploratory comparison between Thai and non-Thai speakers

Authors: Chatpong Tangmanee; Thanaphorn Rotworaphorn

Addresses: Chulalongkorn Business School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand ' Chulalongkorn Business School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand

Abstract: Onscreen English fonts play critical roles in communication. Previous research has examined native English speakers' perceived personality of a font. While the perception depends on a person's background or culture, no publication has compared the perception between Thai and non-Thai speakers. The present study attempts to fill this void. A sample of 402 Thai and non-Thai speakers returned questionnaires written in one of the most accepted handwriting fonts, i.e., Kristen. The analysis revealed that to the greatest extent Thai speaker's perceived Kristen font as being relaxed and feminine in personality, while to a comparable degree non-Thai English speakers perceived its personality as active and exciting. Exploration into underlying dimensions showed a similar structure across the two samples. In addition to extending theoretical insights into digital typography across the two speakers, practitioners could direct the findings to effectively apply the Kristen font to onscreen message design.

Keywords: on-screen display; Kristen font; perceived personality; English font personality; Thai speakers; non-Thai speakers; English fonts; digital typography.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEB.2015.074616

International Journal of Electronic Business, 2015 Vol.12 No.4, pp.380 - 399

Accepted: 19 Oct 2015
Published online: 08 Feb 2016 *

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