As HSC students are knuckling down and studying for their upcoming exams, a team of typographic design specialists and psychologists from RMIT University combined theory and principles to create Sans Forgetica. 

Charles Sturt University’s communications and design officer Kerri-Anne Chin said she was “very fascinated” by this project. 

“I think it’s a very fascinating and clever project by RMIT and it is likely that the general population have no idea about the significance of typography and everyday communication,” she said. 

“But, this raises more about human perception and how we view visual communication as well. 

“I definitely believe that to find a way to engage all audiences from all walks of life is something that is phenomenal and no one would discuss this until a drastic font like this is created.” 

Ms Chin compared the font to “memes” that show a phrase with letters missing but can still be read out. 

“It kind of gives a little bit of an edge from an abstract point of view and by playing tricks on your mind, you are likely to be more engaged or more interested by what you are reading,” she said. 

Ms Chin argued that fonts can aid in information retention but questioned the font’s longevity. 

“I think that it could definitely pave the way now for technology, but I’m not quite sure about the longevity of it, because you will get a lot of controversy from people that feel it’s a distraction and too fancy or too design driven,” she said. 

“I think in this situation it’s great because they’ve partnered with professionals in other areas, which is quite rare. 

“You don’t often see design mixing with science, so it’s another example of integrating with other industries and professions and might give a bit more integrity to their project and research.” 

However, HSC student James Harrison, 17, said he was a bit skeptical. 

“I’d give it a go, I wouldn’t say I’m completely confident in it because I haven’t come across it, but I’d probably test it out and revise a few notes or essays with it and see how it goes,” he said. 

Back for the school holidays, James attends The King’s boarding school in Sydney and said he was feeling a bit anxious. 

“I’m pretty nervous and I’ve got the countdown going on, only 13 days until the English exam,” he said. 

“Once that’s out of the way, it should be fine from there.” 

The font is believed to be the world’s first typeface specifically designed to help people retain more information and remember more of typed study notes. 

“The exams are a great testing platform to see if it works and it will be interesting to see whether it will be incorporated in the future,” Ms Chin said. 

Only time will tell whether this new font will be integrated into the curriculum or everyday life, potentially replacing the common Times New Roman, Arial or Helvetica fonts. 

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