TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Font favorites From:MAGGIE SECARA <SECARAM -at- MAINSAVER -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 6 Apr 1999 17:48:45 -0700
When I was working with graphic (online) artists, they assured me that sans
serif was easier to read. I finally concluded that they meant in advertising
and other commercial art. Obviously we were coming from different
disciplines.
At the time, we were working on a computer game for very young children, and
we did find that in a pre-reading game, serifs on screen clutter and *fuzz*
the display image a good deal more than sans serif.
Just one subjective observation.
Cheers!
Maggie
secaram -at- mainsaver -dot- com
Compendium of Common Knowledge (downloadable version available!) http://ren.dm.net
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Peter Martin [SMTP:peterm -at- FOXBORO -dot- COM -dot- AU]
> Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 1999 5:45 PM
> To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject: Re: Font favorites
>
> At 12:58 6/04/99 -0700, Mark Dempsey wrote:
> >So serifs, if really visible, are the visual cues for letters, and can
> >be very effective doing so. Onscreen, however, letters are of so much
> >lower resolution that serifs cannot be relied upon to be anything more
> >than a blur--hindering their proper function.
>
> The "cues" theory is one: The British Medical Council also once
> suggested serifs reduce an "irradiation effect" between lines of
> text. Maybe both are right.
>
> But has someone done any research work on the suggestion that screen
> serif fonts are worse ? I've been looking for indications on the
> web that this might have been tried, but have so far found zilch.
> Anyone any references ?
>
> I recently suggested this in this group as a worthwhile research project.
> Maybe it has been done ? Anyone ?
>
<snipping the rest>