[Glyph Request] Variants to differentiate: d,b,q,p

[AndydeCleyre]

• Your font version: r1461.43a8ca6d
• Your font variants: default, fixed, term
• Your operating system (name and version): Arch Linux
• Your application using Iosevka: konsole, sublime text, firefox

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For folks with dyslexia or other difficulties, it can make a big difference in legibility to use different shapes (not just different orientations) for each character. d, b, q, and p all seem to be identical shapes, and it would be great to have to option to change that -- especially for differentiating d from b and q from p, but ideally all from each other.

So the small version of this request is:

• a new variant of any kind for either d or b, and
• a new variant of any kind for either q or p

and the big version of this request is:

• a new uniquely shaped variant for each of any three of d, b, q, and p

Current state:

Rotated 180°:

Mirrored Horizontally:

Mirrored Vertically:

The idea is to make the letters identifiable regardless of orientation.

[be5invis]

Just a reminder, identical b d q p is considered as a design feature of Iosevka.
Mark as post-3.0 task.

[AndydeCleyre]

Two updates:

1. Progress has been made (thank you!) with release 3.2.0 implementing Variant request numerals, z, and q #595, which brings us a unique "tailed" q shape. That only leaves d, b, and p as identical.
2. You've added the Needs Justification label here, so I'll restate the primary justification:

For folks with dyslexia or other difficulties, it can make a big difference in legibility to use different shapes (not just different orientations) for each character.

But your personal justification for implementing the tailed q might have been its chemistry with the tailed l already available. With that in mind, maybe a slight tail on the d would offer a similar chemistry without introducing stylistic disharmony.

Adding a tailed d variant would AFAIU finish addressing the most likely legibility difficulties. According to the internet,

The most common letter reversal is b and d, when the child writes a b for a d or vice versa. Another common reversal is p and q. An example of an upside-down reversal is m for w.

Here's the current state of Iosevka with the lovely new q:

I don't know a good way to maintain this style while further differentiating p and b, but I'll take another look at what some other fonts do, and the older issue that this one came out of.

[AndydeCleyre]

After a quick view of other fonts, it looks like a common strategy of differentiating b from both p and d is to diminish the back-tail of the b, either:

• making it smaller
• straighter
• removing it altogether.

This is seen across a wide variety of type styles. Here's a diverse sampling to demonstrate:

bp_fonts.pdf

And a small subset that is maybe not too far off from Iosevka's style:

So this issue might be fully addressed by creating both:

• a slightly tailed d (like the new q)
• a tail-less/toothless b (like the toothless G)

[be5invis]

Add this first 🤔

[AndydeCleyre]

Beautiful!

[be5invis]

And if you want more rounded, there is choice.

[be5invis]

[AndydeCleyre]

I really like the toothless b, but still think a lightly tailed d, like the new q, would be much better and more recognizable as the correct character than those new ds. Just a little outward angle or curl to its tooth.

[be5invis]

[be5invis]

Close as fixed

[AndydeCleyre]

Wonderful, thank you.