What are your opinions, which of the following text are easier to read?
- CCW text in one row
- CW text in one row
- CCW text in two rows
- CW text in two rows
And what if the writing is on a vertical flag? (for example on the wall of a building?) Would you prefer 5. CCW flag or 6. CW flag? (Above the head of the reader, for example starting 4 m high.)
I found a detailed study on Comparing reading speed for horizontal and vertical English text. Their results are the following on the basis of 2 experiments on 10 and 24 young native English speakers (adults). It would be interresting to study this topic with much more people (for example here).
They have tested the following text types:
Can you add any additional resources regarding CW vs CCW rotated vertical text in print design? Or do you have any "ultimate solution" answer to my question?
My opinions:
- On a book 2. CW text seems more natural and easier to read (and it is commonly accepted, although I've found a different book on the shelf)
- But in case of a flag I would prefer 5. CCW text since you have to look up to the flag, and I suppose you start readign on the bottom.
I found these QA-s on stackexchange but all are about web UI-s, not print design: