Quantifying Order in Typographic Design

Abstract

A description is given of a method to compare in quantitative terms the degree of order of two typographically designed pages. A distinction is made between two kinds of order: the order of a system (systemic order) and the order of arrangement. The Shannon formula was used for measuring the degree of order of the two designs—an old version and its redesign. It shows that a judgment based on optical evidence can be supported by a mathematical-empirical judgment. Possible consequences for an aesthetics based on information theory are drawn. A design heuristic is sketched, and the possibilities as well as limits of an algorithmization of design decisions are discussed.