On Jan 10, 2008, at 1:34 PM, Jeff Seager wrote: > I'd like to see a system that could redesign typography "on the > fly" while still allowing end users on the Web the control they > should have over local presentation. There are issues that will have > to be addressed -- probably in the visual browsers or in the > operating systems themselves, but maybe elsewhere. I don't think you > can simply amend the UTF-8 specification to include new glyphs for > ligatures, for example. But maybe, in the long run, you can.
The only real practical way to attack this problem is with the upcoming product segment of eBooks, like Amazon's Kindle. But it might only be worth doing once the screen or display resolution reaches print resolution. To try and solve it sooner might actually create more problems than it solves to be honest, unless discipline was strictly adhered to not and let the core fundamentals of typography be altered or countered due to temporary technological limitations. Further, the reason why you'd want to tackle it with eBooks and not the web has in large part to due with a more controlled linear environment to achieve the goal of user spec'd type. The web with the browser has largely become a structured layout environment where content is nonlinear. The amount of adjustment required to make type both elegant and readable while still user controlled requires far more adjustments than possible in a structured layout environment. Structured layout requires a designer for a reason: not everyone is built to do it or understand how to make it work elegantly given the large number of variables and adjustments that have to be made with every change. You can't just change the font size and expect to have everything work based on rules with a different font size. It simply doesn't work like that and never will. > But, as I said, I'd like to see it! What's the next step necessary > to move from lamenting the problem of inelegant typography to > resolving it? I can't imagine any better candidates for that job > than a bunch of interaction designers. Sorry to be a wet noodle here, but there's no way "interaction" designers are going to solve this problem unless they (as a field, collectively or otherwise) take it upon themselves to learn type, color and composition as a core competency. And to do so would force the issue that they are more than just "interaction" designers and we're back to discussing job titles yet again. Not a problem for me since I've never considered myself an interaction designer. I've always been an interface designer, someone who has to know graphic design, information design *and* interaction design to get the job done. 8^) -- Andrei Herasimchuk Principal, Involution Studios innovating the digital world e. [EMAIL PROTECTED] c. +1 408 306 6422 ________________________________________________________________ *Come to IxDA Interaction08 | Savannah* February 8-10, 2008 in Savannah, GA, USA Register today: http://interaction08.ixda.org/ ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
