#legibility

#legibility

Blackletter typefaces elicit many contradictory emotions depending, of course, on the context in which they are used and the manner in which they are composed. Sometimes they bark commands - STOP or BEWARE. Other times they are comforting in an ecclesiastical way - Christmas and Easter greetings. During World War II Blackletter was menacing for those in occupied lands who read it as exclusionary - as in FORBIDDEN or DANGER; others accepted it as patriotic

Take the so-called "sector" or "scientific" dial. Organized into concentric "sectors" that divide the minute, hour and sometimes the subdivided seconds tracks into separate areas, they often (but not always) feature bisecting vertical and horizontal lines that create four equal quadrants. These aesthetically-distinctive dials originated on pocket watches in the early 20th century, carrying over the idea of the "railroad" minute track and merging it somewhat with the curvaceous, decorative geometry of the art deco movement.