Skip to content
1981
Volume 12, Issue 2
  • ISSN: 2052-0204
  • E-ISSN: 2052-0212

Abstract

This text examines the aspects that an illustrator or designer must consider when developing tactile books that bridge reading for visually impaired, blind and sighted readers, by using three-dimensional illustrations in physical book formats. First, it requires a basic understanding of how perception differs between visual and tactile experiences, as a haptic approach to reading is fundamentally different from reading through sight. Touch provides an immediate embodied experience of size and materiality. The text explores the affordances of three-dimensional illustrations, focusing on design principles, production techniques and challenges related to creating meaningful tactile experiences. Illustrations must follow basic design principles for the blind community. A key concept is haptic iconicity, which contrasts with raised visual illustrations. Haptic iconicity is grounded in bodily actions that are common to both blind and sighted individuals, and it communicates to the reader through materiality and clear form. To demonstrate how tactile books accommodate different reader groups, three Norwegian tactile narrative picture books were selected from the TIBI collection (the National Library’s department for accessible literature). Through reading sessions with adult readers (including one born blind and one who lost their sight as an adult), it was observed that haptic exploration guides blind readers, and that haptic iconicity relies on the hand, not the eye, for interpretation. After the reading sessions, the author had conversations with the authors of the books to understand more about the design choices. In recent time, custom-made books designed for individual users have become available. The article also discusses how this influences the illustrator-designers work.

© 2025 Intellect Ltd
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/jill_00121_1
2026-02-28
2026-04-22

Metrics

Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Alaca, I. V. (2018), ‘Materiality in picturebooks’, in B. Kümmerling-Maibauer (ed.), The Routledge Companion to Picturebooks, London: Routledge, pp. 59–67.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Arnheim, R. (1990), ‘Perceptual aspects of arts for the blind’, The Journal of Aesthetical Education, 24:3, pp. 57–65.
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Barthes, R. (1999), ‘Rhetoric of the image’, in J. Evans and S. Hall (eds), Visual Culture: The Reader, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, pp. 33–40.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Bayram-Weston, Z., Andrade, M. and Knight, J. (2023), ‘The senses 4: Touch: physiology of the sensation and perception of touch’, Nursing Times, 119:1, n.pag.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Bologna, F. (2024), ‘Fairtales: The stories, the people and the magic of BCBF’, https://fairtales.bolognachildrensbookfair.com/en/media/photo/beyond-sight-tactile-picture-books-from-italy/10529.html. Accessed 13 January 2025.
  6. Diesen, A. (2004), Rogers filledokke vil ha kake, Oslo: Solum.
     [Google Scholar]
  7. Diesen, A. (2007), Vers på tvers, Oslo: Solum.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Diesen, A. (2025), telephone interview with H. Kramer, 14 January.
  9. Gannon, R. and Fauchon, M. (2021), Illustration Research Methods, London: Bloomsbury.
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Houriez, J. and Kounakou, K. (2013), ‘25 Accessibilité des musées: de la conception pour les enfants sourds au design for all’, Médiation et information, 36, p. 232.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Hutmacher, F. (2019), ‘Why is there so much more research on vision than on any other sensory modality?’, Frontiers in Psychology, 10, n.pag., https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02246.
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Iida, H. and Akita, K. (2024), ‘Iconicity emerges from language experience: Evidence from Japanese ideophones and their English equivalents’, Cognitive Science, 48:12, n.pag., https://doi.org/10.1111/cogs.70031.
     [Google Scholar]
  13. Katz, D. (2013), The World of Touch (ed. and trans. L. E. Krueger), New York: Taylor & Francis Group.
     [Google Scholar]
  14. Kramer, H. (2024), ‘Designing with communities: Illustrations beyond sightedness’, in G. O. Fudaba Curcio and A. B. Providência Santarém (eds), Design through Communities, Braga: UMinho Editora Publisher, pp. 46–57.
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Kress, G. and van Leeuwen, T. (2006), Reading Images. The Grammar of Visual Design, 2nd ed., London: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Kümmerling-Maibauer, B. (2015), ‘From baby books to picturebooks for adults: European picturebooks in the new millennium’, Word and Image, 31:3, pp. 249–64, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02666286.2015.1032519.
     [Google Scholar]
  17. Lauwrens, J. (2024), ‘What blind people can teach sighted viewers about art’, The Senses and Society, 19:2, pp. 189–204, https://doi.org/10.1080/17458927.2023.2267410.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Pallasmaa, J. (2024), The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses, Hoboken, NY: Wiley.
     [Google Scholar]
  19. Pullin, G. (2009), Design Meets Disability, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  20. Révész, G. (2025), Psychology and Art of the Blind, Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Ridolfi, D. (2024), ‘Building bridges between images and the tangible world in children’s picturebooks’, Journal of Illustration, 11:1, pp. 115–41, https://doi.org/10.1386/jill_00087_1.
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Robinson, A. (2020), ‘Before Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak was an incredible toy maker’, Literary Hub, 10 June, https://lithub.com/before-where-the-wild-things-are-maurice-sendak-was-an-incredible-toy-maker/. Accessed 1 December 2024.
  23. Roscoe, L. (2019), ‘A thing to hold: The visual language of the book form’, Journal of Illustration, 6:1, pp. 77–98, https://doi.org/10.1386/jill_00005_1.
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Sortland, B. and Belsvik, I. L. (2008), Jenta med heilt jamne, mjuke augebryn, Oslo: Solum.
     [Google Scholar]
  25. Statped (2024), ‘Personlige taktile bøker’, 15 May, https://www.statped.no/laringsressurser/kombinerte-syns-og-horselstap-og-dovblindhet/personlige-taktile-boker/. Accessed 2 January 2025.
  26. Strick, A. (2017), ‘Exciting new tactile books that everyone can enjoy’, BookTrust, 14 June, https://www.booktrust.org.uk/news-and-features/features/2017/june/exciting-new-tactile-books-that-everyone-can-enjoy/. Accessed 3 January 2025.
  27. Strickfaden, M. and Vildieu, A. (2014), ‘On the quest for better communication through tactile images’, Journal of Aesthetic Education, 48:2, pp. 105–22, https://doi.org/10.5406/jaesteduc.48.2.0105.
     [Google Scholar]
  28. Typhlo & Tactus (2025), ‘Rules’, 1 June, https://tactus.org/participate-in-the-competition/rules/?lang=en. Accessed 13 January 2025.
  29. Urbas, R. and Pavlović, Ž. (2016), ‘Production of tactile illustrations’, Researchgate.net, 1 November, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311065218_PRODUCTION_OF_TACTILE_ILLUSTRATIONS. Accessed 20 February 2021.
  30. Valente, D. (2016), ‘Haptic books for blind children: A design for all approach’, Researchgate.net, 5 July, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306061056_Tactile_books_for_blind_children_a_design_for_all_approach. Accessed 21 February 2021.
  31. Valente, D., Bara, F. and Gentaz, E. (2018), ‘The effect of illustrations on the reading process of tactile books: An exploratory study’, Researchgate.net, 1 January, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328271966_The_effect_of_illustrations_on_the_reading_process_of_tactile_books_An_exploratory_study. Accessed 20 February 2021.
  32. Warwick, N. N. (1988), ‘The developmental role of rhymes and routines for congenitally blind children’, Cahiers De Psychologie Cognitive-Current Psychology of Cognition, 17:2, pp. 451–77, https://doi.org/10.1016/B0-08-044854-2/00849-X.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Argyropoulis, V. S. (2002), ‘Tactual shape perception in relation to the understanding of geometrical concepts by blind students’, British Journal of Visual Impairment, 20, pp. 7–16, https://doi.org/10.1177/02646196020200010.
     [Google Scholar]
  34. Armitage, T. R. (2015), The Education and Employment of the Blind, Oxford: Palala Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  35. Athanasiu, E. (2015), ‘Belonging: Artists’ books and readers in the library’, Art Documentation: Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America, 34:2, pp. 330–38, https://doi.org/10.1086/683388.
     [Google Scholar]
  36. Babbs, H. (2017), ‘Restoring disorder to The Book of Disquiet’, Wellcome Collection, 24 October, https://wellcomecollection.org/stories/restoring-disorder-to--the-book-of-disquiet-. Accessed 28 December 2024.
  37. Bara, F., Gentaz, E. and Valente, D. (2018), ‘The effect of illustrations on the reading process of tactile books: An exploratory study’, Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 112:6, pp. 2–11, https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482X1811200610.
     [Google Scholar]
  38. Bentzen, B. L. (1982), ‘Tactile graphic displays in the education of blind persons’, in W. Schiff and E. Foulke (eds), Tactual Representations: A Sourcebook, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 389–90.
     [Google Scholar]
  39. Bhowmick, A. and Hazarika, S. M. (n.d.), ‘An insight into assistive technology for the visually impaired and blind people: State-of-the-art and future trends’, Journal on Multimodal User Interfaces, 11:2, pp. 149–72, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12193-016-0235-6.
     [Google Scholar]
  40. Braille Authority of North America (BANA) and the Canadian Braille Authority (CBA) L’Autorité Canadienne du Braille (2012), Guidelines and Standards for Tactile Graphics, Rochester, NY: CBA and BANA.
     [Google Scholar]
  41. Claudet, P. (2019), ‘Tactile illustrated books: Did you say, “A Little Miracle?”’, Bookbird: A Journal of International Children’s Literature, 57:2, pp. 50–58, https://doi.org/10.1353/bkb.2019.0017.
     [Google Scholar]
  42. Cooper, H. L. (2006), ‘A brief history of tactile writing systems for readers with blindness and visual impairments’, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, https://www.tsbvi.edu/seehear/spring06/history.htm. Accessed 17 February 2021.
  43. Crook, L. (2020), ‘Atkinson hyperlegible typeface is designed for visually impaired readers’, Dezeen, 11 December, https://www.dezeen.com/2020/09/11/atkinson-hyperlegible-typeface-applied-design-works/. Accessed 12 February 2021.
  44. Dalton, B. and Musetti, K. (2018), ‘Tactile picture book making and multimodal composition: Students design for equity in English language arts’, Researchgate.net, 17 September, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326959480_Tactile_Picture_Book_Making_and_Multimodal_Composition_Students_Design_for_Equity_in_English_Language_Arts. Accessed 20 February 2021.
  45. Eriksson, Y. (1998), Tactile Pictures: Pictorial Representations for the Blind, 1784–1940, Gothenburg: Gothenburg Studies in Art and Architecture.
     [Google Scholar]
  46. Hersh, M. and Johnson, M. A. (eds) (2014), Assistive Technology for Visually Impaired and Blind People, London: Springer.
     [Google Scholar]
  47. Kermauner, A. (2009), ‘Tipne slikanice za slepe’, The Digital Library of Slovenia, 36:74, pp. 85–91, https://dk.um.si/IzpisGradiva.php?lang=slv&id=60303. Accessed 10 January 2025.
     [Google Scholar]
  48. Kramer, H. and Belsvik, I. L. (2022), ‘Episode 5: Inger Lise Belsvik’, Illustrasjonspodden, 1 December, https://soundcloud.com/2021ipodden/episode-5-inger-lise-belsvik?ref=clipboard&p=i&c=1&si=DF10D6639CA54600A101E69E51C0F294&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing. Accessed 24 January 2025.
  49. Lanes, S. G. (1984), The Art of Maurice Sendak, New York: Harry N. Abrams.
     [Google Scholar]
  50. Maufe, I. and Kramer, H. (2024), ‘B-O-O-K: Exploration of the performative aspects of book design and the potential of three-dimensional illustrations’, Journal of Illustration, 11:2, pp. 297–317, https://doi.org/10.1386/jill_00097_7.
     [Google Scholar]
  51. Milošević, R., Kasikovic, N. and Pavlović, Ž. (2020), ‘The effects of fragranced microcapsuled application on the physical and print quality characteristics of the prints’. Researchgate.net, November, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346893749_The_effects_of_fragranced_microcapsules_application_on_the_physical_and_print_quality_characteristics_of_the_prints. Accessed 20 February 2021.
  52. Müller, A. and DIN Deutsches Institut für Normung (2015), ‘Tactile lettering and labeling: Requirements on the presentation and application of Braille and raised lettering’, DIN Standards Committees, 1 January, https://www.din.de/en/getting-involved/standards-committees/named/publications/wdc-beuth:din21:290677506. Accessed 20 February 2021.
  53. Museum of Modern Art (1999), ‘Duchamp’s Boîte-en-valise’, https://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1999/muse/artist_pages/duchamp_boite.html. Accessed 28 December 2024.
  54. Rubery, M. and Tilley, H. (2014), ‘A sensory history of books for blind people’, How We Read, 15 November, https://www.howweread.co.uk/gallery/talking-books/. Accessed 17 February 2021.
  55. Sköld, B. C. (2007), ‘Picture books accessible to blind and visually impaired children’, The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, 19 August, http://origin-archive.ifla.org/IV/ifla73/papers/156-Skoeld-en.pdf. Accessed 17 February 2021.
  56. Sonnenwald, Dianne H. and MacElligott, J. (2017), ‘Investigating human–rare historic book interaction among young adults’, Interaction Design and Architecture(s) Journal, 32:2, pp. 126–49, https://doi.org/10.55612/s-5002-032-008.
     [Google Scholar]
  57. Tederixe, L. C., Mariani, R. and Lima, N. R. W. (n.d.), ‘Handmade tactile book about abstract art for blind children’, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), 10:1, pp. 1051–63.
     [Google Scholar]
  58. United Nations (2006), ‘Article 24: Education’, https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities/article-24-education.html. Accessed 21 February 2021.
  59. Vanderheiden, G., Chisholm, W. and Jacobs, I. (2008), ‘Web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG) 2.0’, W3C, 11 December, https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/. Accessed 5 January 2025.
  60. Willings, C. (n.d.), ‘Font legibility’, Teaching Visually Impaired, https://www.teachingvisuallyimpaired.com/font-legibility.html. Accessed 17 February 2021.
  61. The World Blind Union (n.d.), ‘Home page’, https://worldblindunion.org. Accessed 13 January 2025.
/content/journals/10.1386/jill_00121_1
Loading
Illustrations for our fingertips
Journal of Illustration 12, 431 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1386/jill_00121_1
/content/journals/10.1386/jill_00121_1
/content/journals/10.1386/jill_00121_1
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): blind and partially sighted readers; haptic iconicity; materiality; printing innovations; tactile picture books; three-dimensional illustration

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error
Please enter a valid_number test