Journal of Graphic Engineering and Design

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Design recommendations and future prospects for text legibility in augmented reality

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  • Ana Jović,
  • Ivana Žiljak Stanimirović,
  • Miroslav Mikota,
  • Lidija Mandić
Ana Jović
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Graphic Arts, Zagreb, Croatia
Ivana Žiljak Stanimirović
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Graphic Arts, Zagreb, Croatia
Miroslav Mikota
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Graphic Arts, Zagreb, Croatia
Lidija Mandić
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Graphic Arts, Zagreb, Croatia

Published 2026-07-06

abstract views: 49 // Full text article (PDF): 1


Keywords

  • text legiblity,
  • legibility parameters,
  • augmented reality,
  • mixed reality,
  • design recommendations

How to Cite

Jović, A., Žiljak Stanimirović, I., Mikota, M., & Mandić, L. (2026). Design recommendations and future prospects for text legibility in augmented reality. Journal of Graphic Engineering and Design. Retrieved from https://sp.ftn.uns.ac.rs/index.php/jged/article/view/2719

Copyright (c) 2026 © 2026 Authors. Published by the University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Department of Graphic Engineering and Design. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license 4.0 Serbia

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

This paper provides a systematic review of the literature on text legibility in augmented reality (AR) using the PRISMA methodology, with an emphasis on head-mounted displays (HMD) and screen devices. Based on the literature review, we propose design recommendations for legibility in AR. The analysis was carried out using the 10 most important parameters: font type, text style, color and contrast, font size, text anchoring, text segmentation and organization, environmental illumination, background influence, perception depth, and text display in dynamic environments. The analysis shows that billboard and outline styles and light fonts on a dark background ensure the most reliable legibility. For static information, world-anchoring is recommended, and for dynamic information, screenanchoring is advised. Level-of-Detail (LOD) approaches are shown to reduce cognitive load. Specialized fonts (e.g. SharpView) and adaptive algorithms that adjust the contrast, size and position of text in real time are also examined. The results indicate a marked dominance of research on HMD devices, although screen AR has great practical importance and requires more research. Regarding other research directions, the review noted hybrid approaches (HMD + smartphone), projection AR, and hardware/ software upgrades such as colorimetric compensation and text position stabilization. Research on text legibility in AR for 3D text, text segmentation, and dynamic real-world scenarios remains underdeveloped. Future advances in text legibility in AR are related to the integration of typographical, perceptual and technical solutions, and reporting harmonization.

Article history: Received (October 2, 2025); Revised (December 25, 2025); Accepted (February 4, 2026)

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