A blog without comments is a lonely thing. Somehow in switching from Movable Type to Drupal, probably while mucking around in MySQL with inexperienced hands, I lost all the comments on this blog.
The sadness I feel makes me realize how important the people who comment here have become to me. Our conversations—our relationships—have been lost, and what's left are only my own words, alone. A conversation of one.
I guess the best way to do this is just to admit it straight out. Okay. Well. So. Recently I... I...
I used a table for layout.
There. I said it. Yes, I know, I know. But it was late. We were behind schedule. It wasn't a whole page or anything. Just a box across the top of the content on one page that would not stay put. I tried everything. I was desperate. I mean, what was I going to tell my boss? That I'd spent an entire day trying to get three lines of text to float to the left of an icon? I was going to tell him that was the latest holdup?
Working on the web is a lot like working in Las Vegas. Just like Sin City, the web never closes, and what we're working on is frequently a crap shoot. Now if we could just get free cocktails...
To conclude these notes about fonts, I turn to the Great Size Debate. In summary, the controversy concerns what unit of measurement designers should use to size text. The topic is, of course, much more complex than that statement conveys. In fact, reams (or screens) have been written on the issue. The primary points are these... To conclude these notes about fonts, I turn to the Great Size Debate. In summary, the controversy concerns what unit of measurement designers should use to size text. The topic is, of course, much more complex than that statement conveys. In fact, reams (or screens) have been written on the issue. The primary points are these:
During my venture into typography, I collected a hodgepodge of information and tips on using type on the web. In the hope of making sense of it all, I've tried to organize these jottings. Most are basics that I've included as helpful reminders, but I also found a few surprises.
For years I've been meaning to put together a "cheat sheet" of fonts and font alternatives for quick selection but never got around to it. Today I finally got so tired of Arial and Helvetica that I sat down to write a few out.
Of course, things are never that easy. I forgot to take into account how truly fascinating type is and how much I love fonts.
So, here is the result of my very enjoyable though brief excursion into typography. Each explanation should render in that particular font, if you have it installed.