Braille

点字 / 1824– / Style / Symbol Systems

A tactile writing system Louis Braille designed at fifteen, giving every letter a two-by-three cell of dots. Sizing that cell to a single fingertip is a rare case of ergonomics and typography arriving at the same answer.

Braille — Six embossed-letter systems before braille — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain — Six embossed-letter systems before braille — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Braille — Braille writing frame (Britannica) — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain — Braille writing frame (Britannica) — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Braille — Reading a braille book by touch — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0 · © https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotoblasete/ username:antonioxalonso — Reading a braille book by touch — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0 · CC BY 2.0 · © https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotoblasete/ username:antonioxalonso

At a glance

Visual cues

The 2x3 dot cell
Dimensions fit to the fingertip
Left-to-right tactile reading
The materiality of embossing

Best used for

Adding touch readable text beside signage and wayfinding panels
Giving print or packaging an identifier that does not rely on sight

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Dictionary entry

Type: Dot diameter and spacing follow the standard, never adjusted for looks
Composition: Set below or beside the print, with room for a finger to travel
Material: Materials that hold dot height, no coating that rounds the domes
Caution: Shrinking or tightening the dots to tidy the look drops them below the resolution of a fingertip, and nobody can read them.
Further study: Louis Braille / Barbier's night writing / Japanese braille (Kuraji Ishikawa)

Related entries

i-mode Emoji (iモード絵文字)Same Symbol Systems lineage.Compare Braille and i-mode Emoji
Pictogram System (案内用ピクトグラム)Shared effects: Trust / Technique / Intimacy.Compare Braille and Pictogram System

Cite this entry

The dictionary is meant to be linked to. Take whichever form fits where you are writing.

Link: https://indexstyle.org/styles/braille
Markdown: [Braille — IndexStyle](https://indexstyle.org/styles/braille)
HTML: <a href="https://indexstyle.org/styles/braille">Braille — IndexStyle</a>

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