Devanagari type survey

Research
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We have been designing Devanagari type since 2007, yet we are still uncertain when people ask us if a particular font is suitable for Sanskrit, Nepali or Marathi, languages that use the Devanagari script. Of course, our fonts include all required glyphs to render the text, but it is not yet clear whether a local reader would find the forms of those glyphs acceptable. There are significant differences between preferred typographic forms in various parts of India and Nepal. Some are rooted in history and are rarely used, while others are favoured in particular regions. This is why we decided to conduct a survey of the contemporary regional preferences of Devanagari readers – so we don’t simply follow previous models, but instead create fonts that match the expectations of the readers today.

Please help us to spread the word. The more people who take part in the survey, the better statistical information we will gather, which means we will design better fonts, as well as being able to publish recommendations for others about the current needs and choices of local readers. We will publish the results publicly for the reference of all interested parties.

This survey should take just under 10 minutes, is available in four languages (English, Hindi, Marathi, Nepali), and is intended for people who use Devanagari regularly.

Thank you, Peter Bilak, Parimal Parmar, Hai Liang

devanagari regional forms2