Designing for an older generation
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- Thecreativeone
Im designing a magazine for senior citizens from 55-70. I wanted to know what design elements should I consider when dealing with senior citizens?(i.e. Type size, Type faces, and color schemes) If you know any other other things i should take into consideration please do tell.
- vitamins0
Main thing is using bigger fonts, and making it as a easy of read as possible.
- Raniator0
Yeah, don't forget to make the typeface really big, cause you know – all 'old' people have really bad eyesight.
- detritus0
Actually, given the increasingly geometric rate of invention, most stuff *invented* is from our generation, or the one immediately preceeding it.
Besides, I can't think of any genuine suggestion that wouldn't be bogged down by an entirely condescending view of old people
- Douglas0
use pictures of white people.
- monospaced0
Yeah, type has to be huge. FACT: individuals over 55 don't read newspapers, books or magazines. At this age their eyes are simply incapable of making out type less than 12 pt. Senior citizens don't use cellphones either. Keep this in mind and let your client know that designing a magazine for this target audience is ridiculous to begin with.
- I'm going to assume you're being sarcastic hereRand
- Nooooo...hahaha, of coursemonospaced
- i'm surprised Rand could read this post.iCanHasQBN
- c'mere you ol' fuck, you...iCanHasQBN
- detritus0
FACT: individuals over 55 don't read newspapers, books or magazines
'FACT'? If you were anyone else, I'd suspect you of being sardonic, but..
- Rand does!utopian
- I'm being sarcastic, ffs.monospaced
- Aye, aye, clearly my irony indicator is misfiring.detritus
- Bet you that's not the only thing that's misfiring eh detrius.aanderton
- Would that I had a penis.detritus
- lowimpakt0
My main tip in terms of inclusive design is be considerate and don't patronise old people.
There is lots of knowledge on inclusive design among product designers but I don't know specific resources for graphics.
- aanderton0
Buy a copy of saga magazine and any other similar mags and compare them to any typical magazine aimed at the younger generation (means health mag for example). See if there are any discernible differences in typeface or font sizes etc.
- Douglas0
it would actually help to know more about the content of the magazine. is it general lifestyle, financial, culture, etc?
- Douglas0
is there a target demo besides "old"? like old people who make over $100k/year, or old people on the west coast, etc?
- Rand0
design it like anything else, they wear reading glasses for reading
- flashbender0
get yourself a copy of
and see what their general layout / tyeface / size guidelines are
- apparently ALLCAPS is the shit for old peopleflashbender
- Even old people like GOTHAMchalk
- LOL@CHALKutopian
- aanderton0
Add a blur filter to all text. Then place advertisements for glasses or contact lenses on every other page.
- monospaced0
damn, I was being sarcastic
I have this argument all the time when people tell me the type has to be horsey large because my audience is over 55. I remind them that this is the same audience that is used to reading newspapers, specifically the WSJ, and that even though they're older, they are still using BlackBerry phones and their eyes are capable of reading normal type. In the end, design for that generation isn't that much different.
- elahon0
Make it so they can remove the cover and fold it so it becomes an adult diaper.
- scrap_paper0
IMO "Old folks" isn't a well enough defined demographic. Start honing in on who the group actually is that reads the rag you are working on.
Although this is an older generation remember that the pique of their professional lives was 25 to 35 years ago. So, although they are older they have still been around for some significant advances.
