JackYan.com
Jack and Aston Martin V8 Vantage Monaco street signs
Jack Yan: the Persuader blog
  Click here to go to home pageWhat I stand forMy stuffWhat others have recently saidMeet some of the coolest folks I knowDrop me a line Visit my workplace
> My stuff > The Persuader Blog


4.6.06

Screening type 

Thanks to Henri Labarre’s 2803 blog, I came across Marko Dugonjić’s Typetester, a program that enables one to check how different appear on one’s computer. Three can be compared in various settings. It was in beta last year, and went into its final form earlier this year.
   Typetester accesses the on one’s hard drive, so if some defaults are not installed, then they will not show. (In other words, no default-font embedding actually takes place.) It re-creates one’s own and puts its entries into its lower menu for selection.
   It’s one of the best tools online to help people choose a , along with settings for leading, tracking, colour and background. After the right setting is chosen, Typetester can create the relevant code for CSS. The old problem with web still exists, however: if another user does not have the chosen typeface installed, it will still not show.
   About 15 years ago, we were concerned that the public was not being about how to use type properly. With tools like Typetester, people may see just how typography is a craft and and do not “just happen”. I believe Typetester, inter alia, will help people discover what a craft typography and are.
Post a Comment  Links to this post

Comments:
Wow. That is a fantastic site! I got a kick out of comparing Helvetica and Verdana. Even though Helvetica is a bit dated, it looks much more elegant as a sans-serif option when put up against Verdana's clunkiness. Thanks for posting such a great resource!  
You’re welcome, Peter! I like Helvetica, too, with the greatest respect to my friends Matthew Carter and Vinnie Connare (who created Verdana). Verdana is perhaps too much a creature of the web, and while it is superior to read on-screen, Helvetica’s shapes give us some comfort thanks to their familiarity.  
Ah, the battle between elegance and utility... I've used Verdana as a staple for about 90% of the web sites I've built, specifically for its utility and readability. I think it is funny (and a little sad) that I brush it off so quickly even though I have used it so heavily over the years!  
I have a print-first approach to my design, on the theory that screen type will get closer and closer to that of print, so why not start with the highest form of typography? Hence, I have used Verdana, but not that often—for me, the percentage would probably be in the 25 or 30 per cent mark, with Gill Sans, Helvetica, and others rating higher. However, Georgia is quite elegant and seems to work well in both media.  
I like your print-first approach -- it makes a lot of sense and probably raises the design bar quite a bit. To be honest, I'm a bit of a hack when it comes to design, and when I look back at some of the decisions I made in the past, I get a bit embarrassed. It makes me wonder what I'm going to think of my current designs in a few years!  
Post a Comment

Links to this post:

Create a Link

 

 

Note

Entries from 2006 to the end of 2009 were done on the Blogger service. As of January 1, 2010, this blog has shifted to a Wordpress installation, with the latest posts here.
   With Blogger ceasing to support FTP publishing on May 1, I have decided to turn these older pages in to an archive, so you will no longer be able to enter comments. However, you can comment on entries posted after January 1, 2010.


Quick links

Surf to the online edition of Lucire
  • More ramblings at the Lucire Insider blog
  • The Medinge Group
  • Jack Yan for Mayor
  • My Facebook page
  • Follow me on Twitter
  • My Vkontakte page
  • Book me for public speaking
  • Contact JY&A Consulting on business projects
  • Check out fonts from JY&A Fonts
  • Add feeds




    Add feed to Bloglines

    Individual JY&A and Medinge Group blogs

  • Lucire: Insider
  • Summer Rayne Oakes
  • The Medinge Group press room
  • Detective Marketing
  • Amanda van Kuppevelt
  • Delineate Brandhouse
  • Paolo Vanossi
  • Nigel Dunn
  • Pameladevi Govinda
  • Endless Road
  • Avidiva news
  • Johnnie Moore’s Weblog
  • Steal This Brand Too
  • The Beyond Branding Blog
  • Ton’s Interdependent Thoughts
  • Partum Intelligendo
  • Right Side up
  • Headshift
  • Goiaba Brazilian Music
  • Jack Yan on Tumblr (brief addenda)

  • +

    Previous posts

  • No Snakes on a Plane
  • The CEO and CSR
  • Shock-ing
  • Never the Twain’s shall meet
  • Good Morning to Amber
  • Ten quotes from Reboot
  • Tall guys get all the perks
  • A boring CEO can be a good thing
  • An American outreach
  • It’s the Putin right that counts


  • Donate

    If you wish to help with my hosting costs, please feel free to donate.