ELDERLY-SENSITIVE EDITORIAL TRANSLATIONS

A RESEARCH PROJECT TO PROMOTE THE ACCESSIBILITY AND  READABILITY OF TEXTS

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.82068/pgjournal.2025.22.41.17

Keywords:

Editorial accessibility, Legibility, Editorial translation, Readers over 65, Microtypography

Abstract

The research illustrates a methodological approach aimed at highlighting some factors useful for the design of accessible publishing artefacts intended primarily, but not exclusively, for readers over the age of 65. After a critical review of multiple contributions on microtypography, visual ergonomics and publishing translation, 100 cases of good practice were surveyed, highlighting the scarcity of volumes designed for the elderly. An initial experimental workshop in the !eld of education involved designers and students in processes of intrasemiotic and intersemiotic translation of the historical novel Q, which, due to its peculiarities, lends itself to linguistic transfer processes. This initial experiment led to a second empirical study aimed at modelling three meta-volumes that differ from each other in terms of text and iconography.
The overall results confirm the multifactorial nature of legibility: body, line spacing, contrast, layout, support and orientation devices must work in synergy. Understanding editorial design as a translational process — intralinguistic, intersemiotic and ethical — allows for the integration of multiple sensory channels without impoverishing the overall meaning of the source text. The direct involvement of readers over the age of 65, taken as model readers, proves decisive in avoiding stigmatising solutions and enhancing the quality of a reading experience open to all. On a theoretical level, the research combines issues related to accessibility in the reading process, editorial translation practices, and knowledge related to typography and microtypography, proposing a concept of the book as a polyalphabetic text. Further developments may concern possible hybridisations between paper formats and products generated by generative artificial intelligence for the dynamic customisation of layouts and content.

Author Biographies

  • Elena Caratti, Polytechnic University of Milan

    PhD, Associate professor at the Department of Design at the Polytechnic University of Milan. She is the coordinator of the degree program in Communication Design. Author of "Gender-sensitive Remedies" (2015), she co-edited the volumes "Design is Translation" (2016) and "Designing Ethically in a Complex World" (2024).

  • Dina Riccò, Polytechnic University of Milan

    Associate Professor of Industrial Design at the Polytechnic University of Milan, Department of Design. She holds a degree in Architecture and a PhD in Industrial Design. She is the author of 140 publications, most recently editing "Accessibilità museale" (FrancoAngeli, 2023) and "Accessibilità comunicativa" (with M.C. Andriello, Rai Libri, 2024).

  • Sara Bianchi, Polytechnic University of Milan

    She holds a master's degree in Communication Design from the Polytechnic University of Milan and is a graphic designer at Tiwi srl. She works on projects in the fields of visual communication and editorial design. Research assistant and "Cultrice della Materia" (Matter Expert) in the Communication Design degree program at the Polytechnic University of Milan.

  • Giulia Martimucci, Polytechnic University of Milan

    Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design from the Polytechnic University of Milan. A graphic designer, she focuses on editorial graphics projects and the development of multi-channel advertising campaigns. She is a "Cultrice della Materia" (Matter Expert) in the Communication Design degree program at the Polytechnic University of Milan. She collaborated on the Tiwi Readable research project.

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Issue

Vol. 22 No. 41 (2025): Writings of Complexity. <span>Rethinking the Codex Form</span>

Section

Research

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