3 ms·

Funny how they speak about not getting stuck in the "design trends trap" while using a slab serif font and 1px drop shadows under the text... Interesting stuff

Funny how they speak about not getting stuck in the "design trends trap" while using a slab serif font and 1px drop shadows under the text... Interesting stuff otherwise.

sjwright 15y ago
I think a fair response to that is to distinguish between the micro and macro. Choice of font is arguably a micro-level trend; the presentation is dealing with issues on the macro, whole-of-page scale. The presenter of course has to choose a font, and he can be forgiven for not choosing Times Roman, Courier or Tahoma. What he did choose is a font that, while currently in vogue, is still eminently readable. As for the drop shadows, they also aid readability within the context of the chosen aesthetic. (And they're definitely not 1px -- probably closer to 5px by the time it's scaled up for a high resolution projector -- the shadows are proportional and appropriate for the weight of the strokes.)
huhtenberg 15y ago
What would you rather have him use? Papyrus? :) And 1px drop shadow is there for contrast to improve legibility of light on bright, not because it's trendy.
- sjwright 15y ago
  > Papyrus? Trajan! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t87QKdOJNv8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t87QKdOJNv8
gregschlom 15y ago
Just to clarify my point: I pay a lot of atention to typography, and I believe it's exactly one of those invisible but crucial design choices. There are tons of fonts that are very legible, but each of them conveys a different message. And choosing a slab serif font in 2011 just says: I'm going for the no-brainer choice, because slab-serif fonts are cool and trendy in 2011. And the same goes for drop shadows. I was expecting more creativity from people that warn you not to fall in the trends trap. But yes, it's perfectly legible and does the job. Just not creative in 2011.

3 ms·

Funny how they speak about not getting stuck in the "design trends trap" while using a slab serif font and 1px drop shadows under the text... Interesting stuff

by gregschlom 15y ago

Funny how they speak about not getting stuck in the "design trends trap" while using a slab serif font and 1px drop shadows under the text... Interesting stuff otherwise.

sjwright 15y ago
I think a fair response to that is to distinguish between the micro and macro. Choice of font is arguably a micro-level trend; the presentation is dealing with issues on the macro, whole-of-page scale. The presenter of course has to choose a font, and he can be forgiven for not choosing Times Roman, Courier or Tahoma. What he did choose is a font that, while currently in vogue, is still eminently readable. As for the drop shadows, they also aid readability within the context of the chosen aesthetic. (And they're definitely not 1px -- probably closer to 5px by the time it's scaled up for a high resolution projector -- the shadows are proportional and appropriate for the weight of the strokes.)
huhtenberg 15y ago
What would you rather have him use? Papyrus? :) And 1px drop shadow is there for contrast to improve legibility of light on bright, not because it's trendy.
- sjwright 15y ago
  > Papyrus? Trajan! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t87QKdOJNv8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t87QKdOJNv8
gregschlom 15y ago
Just to clarify my point: I pay a lot of atention to typography, and I believe it's exactly one of those invisible but crucial design choices. There are tons of fonts that are very legible, but each of them conveys a different message. And choosing a slab serif font in 2011 just says: I'm going for the no-brainer choice, because slab-serif fonts are cool and trendy in 2011. And the same goes for drop shadows. I was expecting more creativity from people that warn you not to fall in the trends trap. But yes, it's perfectly legible and does the job. Just not creative in 2011.