The Cornish Chough

What fonts are available? What are the implications of choosing particular fonts for my website?

Its bit of a web myth that there are only ten or so fonts available to choose from when considering the typography of your website.

Broadly speaking web fonts are broken down into 'fonts' and as a backup 'generic-fonts'. A brief summary of both follows - and how they are used.

Generic-Fonts are the most basic of fonts that should always render in any browser(internet explorer, firefox, safari on a pc, mac, or handheld device for example). These are very basic fonts with little style or visual appeal, but nevertheless will render in any browser. Generic-Fonts are as follows:
serif
sans-serif
cursive
fantasy
monospace

Fonts can be any font you care to name... helvetica, arial, comic sans(blurgh), optima, century gothic...

Any font will work on your website! But wait, that is only if the visitor to your web page has the font available on their system.

The web myth of these ten or so fonts has arisen because these certain fonts are the most common that you would expect to work on any browser.

Some you would expect to work across most browsers;
Georgia
Trebuchet MS
Arial
Helvetica
Times
Verdana

The above may be the list of fonts you are given to choose from by your web developer, your blog system, or your web design software.

What does this mean for my choice then?
The code for choosing a font is done so in a list format... for example...

font-family: "Century gothic", Arial, sans serif

The browser always trys to display the font at the start of the list, if this is not available on the visitors browser it will try to display the second, and if not it will try the next, and the next and so on. Of course you should always have a 'generic font' in your list, in the above example it is 'sans serif' this is the "fall back" if the end users browser cant display the fonts you desire.

So whats all the fuss about?
From a design point of view choosing fonts that are not 'common' makes the production of a consistent design rather awkward. For example if your first choice font is not available to some browsers it will resort to the next font along which may alter the design of the website.

Thats why I have to say as a web designer it is often best to choose from the list of 'recommended fonts'. There are already more than enough variables to try and control when developing a site(screen sizes, image types, coding). By choosing from the recommended list provided by your web designer it means you can go some way to achieving a consistent look to your site for all of your visitors.


Here is a list of common fonts you can choose from http://www.1728.com/fontcore.htm

And an example of 100 different fonts displayed on your browser http://www.1728.com/fontlttr.htm - see how they render!


Just a thought...
change must always be balanced with some degree of consistency.
Ron D Burton

"Graphic Designer." A completely useless term.

Here I will explain how any aspiring or emerging designer doesn't just need a finesse for 'good ideas' or the ability to artwork, or create a neat looking layout....

It was as the fish came to walk on land through necessity, it is so that the young 'designer' must learn to 'develop' as a result of necessity. The role of the Graphic Designer has evolved from a conceptual and print based implementation role, to that of the all-seeing company patriach.

A client these days has an ever expanding set of requirements. Yes, it is often the case the starting point will be a brand identity. But how long before they require advertising, brochures, websites, marketing campaigns, networking advice, editing, copywriting, SEO.....? As a designer can your portfolio afford to miss out on those opportunities?

The brand identity must of course follow suit throughout all the above mediums so how does the Young Graphic Designer know when to 'let go' of the 'follow-up' projects. Quite simply, we don't.

It is obviously a competitive world where only the most talented and hard working succeed. Without entering a nature/nuture debate the ability to stand out from emerging graphic design peers is dependable on a few factors such as; excellent design skills, team ethic, self management, technical expertise, and the catch 22, experience.

If you lack the latter two, you may find when applying for jobs as a 'Graphic Designer' the door slightly ajar and then politely closed... After all, which commercial enterprise would want to employ someone without experience, or a broad range of technical skills?

Of course it all depends on the post/project being applied/pitched for, but if there is another applicant of equal standing in a 'design, photoshop, illustrator, indesign' type mould, then your ability to develop a project across the internet through web development, networking and SEO will surely make you the BEST PERSON FOR THE PROJECT. Your experience and deliverables can even surpass rivals who are perhaps more creative.

My point is this, the title 'Graphic Designer' no longer really suits in some cases, a term made redundant by the skill set that exceeds it. Ideally, and in part due to competition, he or she will have abilities in Branding and Print Design, be Adobe Trained, with Web Design skills, likely including HTML, CSS, PHP, and of course SEO. All of this combined with advertising, marketing knowledge, networking advice, good ideas, artisitic flair, experience, the ability to project manage, and of course the little extras of copywriting and editing (because you know full well, given the choice you aren't going to wait two weeks for the paragraph change to go through the clients monthly committee meeting).

At best a graphic designer will have in-depth knowledge of the above fields, at worst should have basic understanding to help guide a project to successful conclusion.

To summarise, 'client need/expectation' and 'rival competition' have driven the graphic designer to a pivotal position in business, and in doing so, the skills and services required of a 'Graphic Designer' appear destined for continued expansion - mounting to an ever increasing work load keeping pace with the constantly evolving trade that is 'Graphic Design'.

To be honest though, would we have it any other way?



Just a thought...
Beyond talent lie all the usual words: discipline, love, luck -- but, most of all, endurance.
James Arthur Baldwin

And Finally...
'Its not how good you are, Its how good you want to be' by Paul Arden is a book that gave me the kick up the backside I needed in my second year of Uni and highlights the importance of just being the best that you can be.

A day away from the office brings visual delights! Working from home today due to the snow meant I could take a break in style! Very cool. Indeed. Click the image to view the photos on Flickr.

Heres to a fabulous new year and new decade...

This year I hope to work with even more people and businesses not just in Cornwall London, and America, but all over the world!

I'll be hopefully building some great looking websites but now with even more functionality!!


This is the year/decade of networking so lets talk people!

I'll keep you posted if you can either:
Follow me here on this blog!
Follow me on twitter
Find me on Facebook
And of course my own website right here webdesignercornwall.com (completion scheduled for March '10)