Christian Boer’s Creative Journey: Designing the Dyslexie Font to Empower Dyslexic Readers

Dyslexia is a neurodiverse condition that affects reading and writing abilities. According to Dyslexia.Yale.Edu, it impacts 20% of the global population and accounts for 80-90% of all learning disabilities.

In Conversation with Christian Boer

In an insightful discussion, Creative Spirit’s Community Manager, and fellow dyslexic, Joanna McElnea, sat down with Christian Boer, a Dutch graphic designer renowned for creating Dyslexie Font and “Week of Dyslexia” (Week van Dyslexie) in the Netherlands, a week dedicated to raising awareness for Dyslexia. 

A Breakthrough Typeface for Dyslexia

Christian designed the Dyslexie typeface to improve reading for people with dyslexia. By modifying letters to have heavier bottoms, larger openings, and increased spacing, Christian’s Dyslexie Font helps dyslexic readers distinguish each letter more clearly, reducing confusion (Dyslexie Font, https://dyslexiefont.com).

Since its creation in 2008, Dyslexie Font has received praise, including the 2011 Smart Urban Stage Award. During the interview, Christian shared his creative journey, challenges with dyslexia, and how technology can help neurodivergent people.

Turning Challenges into Creative Fuel

Christian described his difficulties in school, where dyslexia was not understood. He recalled, “[In] elementary school… talking in Dutch was no problem, and I was intelligent enough, but I did not deliver the work in writing, and I was seen as lazy.”

His teacher often expressed frustration, saying, “They [the teacher] would say, ‘I don’t want to hear excuses. You just need to work harder.’ And I was penalized on my grades,” he said. These challenges led Christian to focus on art, which eventually brought him to HKU Art School in the Netherlands.

The University Turning Point

At university, dyslexia became a challenge again when he received a 150-page document in a difficult font. After explaining his condition, his professor asked him to demonstrate what it felt like to read with dyslexia.

Inspired, Christian developed a sketch movie to illustrate his experience, which left his professor dizzy but enlightened. “[The professor] was like, ‘I’m dizzy watching this,’” Christian recalled. “I completely understand why it’s so hard for you.” his teacher said. This sketch/movie is still used today in universities to teach others about the dyslexic experience.

The Birth of Dyslexie Font

For his graduation project, Christian explored creating a “dyslexia layout.” He experimented with letter width, color, and spacing to help dyslexic readers. People with dyslexia often confuse letters due to mirroring or rotation, so he designed each letter uniquely to prevent this. Christian believed his innovative approach would prevent “flipping and rotating.” As Christian started to share his project with other students and teachers “every week” heard the feedback, “Making a typeface is holy, you cannot change the rules, you need to make it uniform”. “I had just one teacher, the head,” who told me “just go on” “because he had Dyslexia himself. And he was seeing what I was doing.”

To refine the font, Christian used a focus group of individuals with varying degrees of dyslexia. Christian initially didn’t realize how common dyslexia was. He thought only a few people had it but soon discovered it was a common learning disability.“I was thinking, okay, maybe there are 100 other people in the Netherlands with dyslexia. [I] never knew that it was learning problem number one,” he explained. After sharing a PDF of text in Dyslexie Font, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with everyone expressing a desire for the typeface. The positive feedback he received after sharing Dyslexie Font inspired him to refine it further. He adding numbers and symbols to create a complete typeface. Thus, Dyslexie Font was born.

Raising Awareness with ‘Week of Dyslexia’

Christian, Nel Hofmeester, and Hoi Foundation launched “Week of Dyslexia” (Week van Dyslexie) in the Netherlands, to raise awareness about dyslexia. Initially held in person, the event moved online during the pandemic but has since returned to its original format. It brings educators, students, corporations, and families together to understand dyslexia and neurodiversity better.

“It was a really big eye-opener for all kinds of people that we are so many,” Christian said, reflecting on the initiative’s success. The event has been educating participants since 2018 about dyslexia and the importance of inclusion.

Harnessing Creativity and Innovation

Christian’s experiences show how creativity and innovation can change the lives of people with dyslexia. He created solutions like Dyslexie Font, which is now used globally. His journey highlights the need for accommodations like Dyslexie Font in schools and workplaces.

How AI Can Support Neurodivergent Minds

Christian and Joanna also discussed how AI can help people with dyslexia, who often think non-linearly. Christian believes AI can bridge the gap by making linear tasks easier. He views AI as a helpful tool, not a threat to jobs. “That’s something that an AI is, linear thinking,” Christian explained, “and a producer [of content]. So it’s a really good team, if you know how to use it, if you’re not afraid of it… it’s not something that will take all of your work. It’s going fast, but it’s not the Terminator.”

Joanna also mentions the idea that AI can take a creative stream of thought, organize it, and “spit out” a process or checklist that team members can use to make repetitive tasks more efficient and of better quality. She mentioned how it has helped her learn writing techniques to adjust her tone, clarify her thoughts, and communicate better with her teammates. She believes this will help teams communicate effectively, even between neurodivergent thinkers.

Christian also reminds us, “You still need to know your stuff.” Like any other creative process, you must put original content into the tools and audit the outputs. Tools like ChatGPT can help people with dyslexia by making tasks like proofreading and editing more accessible, creating processes, and organizing thoughts. Allowing creative ideas to shine.

Joanna concludes with insights from her experience working on Creative Spirits neurodivergent Content team, “what works for us is we break down the content process into pieces, and each of the members work on the piece that they are most skilled at.” “So although AI might be a linear producer, it’s, in my mind, still will always be a collaborative process, especially between neurodivergent minds.”

Empowering Neurodiverse Individuals

Christian stressed the importance of building self-esteem for individuals with dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions. He strives to raise awareness and connect with experts who focus on the strengths of neurodiverse individuals. “They look at the strong points of people with dyslexia,” he noted. Too often, students are reminded of their weaknesses, undermining confidence. Christian believes educators should emphasize what students excel at, helping them build self-esteem and discover their abilities.

Christian’s perspective provides a roadmap for how educators and organizations can become more inclusive and accessible for neurodivergent individuals. Building self-esteem and fostering acceptance are key to a future of true inclusion.

Key Takeaways

• Christian Boer’s creative journey is a powerful example of turning personal challenges into innovative solutions. As a dyslexic individual, Christian faced many obstacles growing up in an education system that did not understand his learning differences. His breakthrough came at university, where he created a film to simulate his experience of reading with dyslexia, which resonated with his professor and inspired him to continue innovating.

• Boer’s most notable contribution is the Dyslexie Font, designed in 2008, which addresses the specific challenges dyslexic readers face, such as letter mirroring and confusion between similar characters. By modifying the shapes of letters—such as heavier bottoms, increased spacing, and larger openings—Boer made reading easier for dyslexic individuals. The font received critical acclaim, including the 2011 Smart Urban Stage Award, and continues to be widely used.

• His efforts to raise awareness about dyslexia extend beyond the Dyslexie Font. Christian co-launched the Week of Dyslexia (Week van Dyslexie) in the Netherlands, an event dedicated to educating people about dyslexia and neurodiversity. The initiative has helped connect educators, students, and corporations, fostering better understanding and inclusivity.

• In conversation with Joanna McElnea, Christian reflected on how technology, especially AI, could support neurodivergent individuals. He views AI as a complementary tool that can handle linear tasks, allowing creative minds to focus on innovation. Both he and Joanna believe that AI can enhance communication within neurodiverse teams by organizing ideas and making repetitive tasks more efficient.

• Boer’s journey underscores the importance of self-esteem and focusing on strengths. He advocates for educational and workplace environments that emphasize the unique talents of neurodivergent individuals, fostering confidence and inclusion.

Join the Mission of Neurodiverse Inclusion