RE: FLASH: Typography (Was:Site Check: ITVerge.com)

[David Jacobs]

<rant>


The forced justified Arial type was "abysmal." The left ranged type now

looks "pretty awful." The font was plain "vanilla," and needed to be more

"technological." Changed thusly it is now "horrible."


I have tried to take everything in, and make changes where appropriate. I

have followed most of the advice given to me. It seems like sometimes you

just can't win when people are judging a site based on their personal

preferences. Granted, personal bias will always be a part of an evaluation,

but clearly not enough "give" is being allowed. Either that, or I have

implemented every suggestion in the most incompetent manner possible.


I'm sorry my lightening doesn't look like every one else's lightening. Maybe

that's because it's supposed to be a more abstract and chaotic electricity

animation that doesn't look like anything else. I'm sorry I run in a higher

resolution so that my text does not appear so appropriate to the blind

(although I'm glad my site will suit you well into your declining years Tom,

unless you choose to venture beyond 640 x 480).


I am being intentionally sarcastic here, but I think the point is valid.

Design can be better or worse, but much of it is personal preference. And

finally, remember the non-expert crowd is the intended audience. Most sites

are not Flash sites for Flash professionals. Subtle things matter, they

effect the impressions made on the audience. But some things are lost on

anyone but the best designers. To spend 80% of site development time upon

line-by-line typographical perfection would be one example of wasteful

absurdity.


I want to continue improving my skills. I would like to eventually be good

enough to gain the respect of even the gurus. But I am beginning to think it

is always a win-lose proposition.


</rant>


David Jacobs

Web Developer

Skywalker Communications

http://www.skywalker.com

http://www.itverge.com


Phone: 636.272.8025 x167


> -----Original Message-----

>

From: Paul Kilgour [SMTP:paulkmobilixnet [dot] dk]

> Sent:	Friday, March 10, 2000 9:09 PM

>

To: flasherchinwag [dot] com

> Subject:	Re: FLASH: Typography (Was:Site Check: ITVerge.com)

> 

> 

> >> You have your justified text, but you set limits on the number of

> characters

> >> in the line, for aesthetics. So, you have 3 measures. One being the max

> >> width of the column, two being the minimum amount of characters, and

> three

> >> being somewhere in-between. This, done skillfully gives you a kind of

> psuedo

> >> justified text without the horrible gaps.

> >>

> >> It's a tough job though, but worth it. I still do it occasionally.

> >

> > We do this all the time for print ads, although we normally do it by

> hand,

> > line by line (sometimes have style sheets and master pages set up that

> do

> > it, for specific kinds of things). You know, that one's too spacey, kern

> it

> > down, makes the next too tight so adjust that. Set the column a little

> wider

> > or narrower to better fit with the text, make sure there aren't any

> widows

> > or orphans, etc. But the settings in Flash aren't flexible enough to

> allow

> > this (wider, and narrower at I'm not even sure what pixel measurement,

> with

> > nothing in between isn't enough) and it would be a waste of time in

> html,

> > where the user settings are quite likely to override your carefully laid

> out

> > page anyways.

> >

> > My two cents, worth the paper it's printed on.

> >

> > Laura

> >

> Yes, it's pretty damn near impossible to do in those circumstances. So,

> the

> creator, and I've forgotten who it is now, should leave it ranged left.

> Trouble is, and with all respect, it looks pretty awful ranged left as it

> is.

> 

> There's no reason for bad typography on a website. I've seen some people,

> who previously had been very competent typographers go completely to pot

> on

> a web site. I wonder why this is. There are tighter rules, agreed. The

> software is not as adaptable, but if you care about type then there's

> always

> a way to get around it.

> 

> I've seen such appaling typogaphy on the internet, it beggers belief.

> Personally, I wouldn't put anything on the net that I wouldn't be pleased

> about sending to print. But that's just me.

> 

> Queue the tirade of abuse!:-)

> 

> Regards,

> 

> Paul.

> 

> flasher is generously supported by...

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>      flashforward2000 and The Flash Film Festival

>   "The World's Premier Flash Solutions Conference and Expo"

>  March 27-29, Nob Hill Masonic Center, San Francisco, California

> 

> -Register before Feb 25 and save $200!!-- www.flashforward2000.com

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> To unsubscribe or change your list settings go to

>

http://www.chinwag.com/flasher or email helpchinwag [dot] com

flasher is generously supported by...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     flashforward2000 and The Flash Film Festival

  "The World�s Premier Flash Solutions Conference and Expo"

 March 27-29, Nob Hill Masonic Center, San Francisco, California


-Register before Feb 25 and save $200!!-- www.flashforward2000.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To unsubscribe or change your list settings go to

http://www.chinwag.com/flasher or email

helpchinwag [dot] com