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28 Oct 2010 11:19

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U.S.: JFK grave’s worn-down typography getting a little TLC

Today, typographic legibility is in the news. Why? Because the letters on JFK’s gravesite are getting hard to read. Time to restore them to their former glory. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Sep 2010 22:15

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Tech: Chrome OS’ new fonts: Knock-offs of knock-offs

Fun fact: When Microsoft made Windows, they used crude knock-offs of well-known fonts. History apparently will repeat itself with Chrome OS. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Aug 2010 12:31

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Tech: Kindle or an iPad? Type legibility put to microscopic test

Kindle or iPad? The legibility of both has strengths and weaknesses, but one looks WAY closer to actual paper than the other does. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Jan 2010 11:48

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Offbeat: Al Gore, while not president, is powerful enough to get a font changed

  • Well, in the book there’re a lot of examples of scientific nomenclature and this particular numeral one is causing confusion when it’s combined with capitals.
  • mgmtdesign designer “Michael” • Speaking to Typotheque about Al Gore’s desire to get a font – Brioni, which he picked for his book “Our Choice,” by the way – changed slightly, because it looked like a little capital “i.” So, they changed the number one for Al Gore. Awesome. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Dec 2009 21:36

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Tech: Slowly but surely, web font solution Typekit’s getting better

  • To give credit where credit is due: We really like the direction Typekit’s Web interface is headed. It’s very clean and well-organized, it’s easy to use, and it works like a snap. Keep it up, guys. Between this and Kernest (which we use and have lots of nice things to say about), the Web font game is starting to get very interesting. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Oct 2009 22:06

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Culture: The Font Bureau is angry at NBC, quick-suing angry

  • $2 million lawsuit for using Font Bureau’s fonts without their OK source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Aug 2009 20:46

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Biz: Verdana is not a font. We repeat, IKEA: Verdana is not a font.

The 2010 IKEA catalog

Verdana is a mistake. With all apologies to noted typographer Matthew Carter (who we saw speak a couple of years ago and have a lot of respect for), Microsoft has ruined his most well-known font. Its use has become such a sign of amateurism that we consider it a mistake. So its usage in the IKEA catalog, above, requires us to complain. Loudly.
  • Where it looks good Microsoft’s Web site. Internet Explorer interfaces. Computer screens. Body type. That’s about it. source
  • Where it looks good Microsoft’s Web site. Internet Explorer interfaces. Computer screens. Body type. That’s about it.
  • Where it looks bad Just about everywhere the IKEA catalog uses it. Big type. Bad tracking. The kerning sucks. The corners that make the font so distinctive turn in ways that scream personality in all the wrong ways. The catalog looks like something a first year design student at ITT Tech would make, which is the harshest criticism we could come up with. It looks like the font blew out when the catalogs were being printed. source
  • Where it looks good Microsoft’s Web site. Internet Explorer interfaces. Computer screens. Body type. That’s about it.
  • Where it looks bad Just about everywhere the IKEA catalog uses it. Big type. Bad tracking. The kerning sucks. The corners that make the font so distinctive turn in ways that scream personality in all the wrong ways. The catalog looks like something a first year design student at ITT Tech would make, which is the harshest criticism we could come up with. It looks like the font blew out when the catalogs were being printed.
  • The font in context Carter designed this typeface (along with Tahoma and Georgia) for a specific purpose in 1994 – to look good on a computer screen. A lot has changed since 1994. Most notably, we use LCD screens, not CRTs. Improved font rendering makes screens look nearly as good as print. We don’t need Verdana anymore. IKEA needs Futura, an iconic font it used for 50 years. Stupid Swedes. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 14 Comments • Permalink
 
 
 
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