Should I optimize the content of a first page of a research statement (risking typography)?
I think the spirit of the statement above is not to overwhelm or overload a hiring committee, because they do not have the time to go through everything thoroughly and are probably reading many research statements. 

You need to make your key points stand out and make it as easy to read as possible. Make it something they want to read if you can. Think of this as more like writing a newspaper article than a science article - the most interesting stuff goes first, follow up with details further into the text if needed.