JULY 2005
This month last year the first Tiger Studios newsletter was published. If you have been receiving this newsletter since the beginning you will notice how much it has changed in just a year. I invite everyone to send their comments and content suggestions to me so I can make it a useful tool for you all.
Thank you for your continued support!
Kim Adams, President, Tiger Studios, Inc.
Ask Tiger Studios
A: A serif font, like Times or Palatino, has small lines at the ends of the character. A sans serif, like Helvetica and Arial, does not have those lines. In print, serif fonts are used for body copy because they are easier to read and sans serif is used for headlines or captions. In web design, sans serif fonts are used for body copy and serif are used for headlines and captions. |
Font Usage in Graphic Design and the Web Design
Too Many Fonts
When desktop publishing software became available to the small business owner they suddenly had the access to make their own brochures and business cards without needing to hire a design professional. This had it's good and bad points. They could create print collateral with a small budget, but without a graphic designer they may not have know that having 10 different fonts on their postcard was a bad idea.
I usually try to keep font usage down to no more than 2 styles when I design — one serif and one sans serif — whether that is for print or the web. You do not need to use multiple fonts to add visual interest to the design. I have even used one type of font in designs and just used sizing, bolding and italicizing to add visual interest.
Font Size Difference
With a print piece you can use very small fonts that will still be legible. By small I mean 6pt that can be used for copyright or restrictions text. On the web, anything smaller than 8pt is not legible on the screen and even 8pt get's tough to read. You also have to be aware that each Internet browser will show your font size a little different even if you are using Cascading Style Sheets. For example, Firefox on the Mac will show text much larger than Internet Explorer on the PC. When building your web site, check many different browser to make sure all text is legible to the reader.
To Alias or Not to Alias
In print, the fonts are anti-aliased, blended or smoothed, into the background of your design piece. Anti-aliasing text is more appealing to our eye and nicer to look at. On a web site, the HTML text will be aliased and so will look jagged. The only way to eliminate that jagged look in the text is by creating a graphic. Just note that search engines cannot read text that has been inserted into a graphic and too many graphics will cause the site to be slow to download onto the screen.
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A Little About Tiger Studios
Kim Adams started Tiger Studios in 1999 as a one stop shop for all aspects of web site design, graphic design and web site development. We are here to help client's develop a professional, creative business image in both print and the Internet. Because we treat each customer special, have quick turn around on projects, and create custom graphic and web site design each time, we have a high client retention rate.
To learn more about Tiger Studios and our services, check out our web site www.Tiger-Studios.com or contact Kim Adams at mail@Tiger-Studios.com for a free estimate of your next web site or graphic design project.