3 thoughts for the week of October 26, 2009 (trouble with fonts, Daylight Savings & black cats)
October 28, 2009//Last Updated January 6, 2013
- The Trouble With Fonts. Fonts are a very important, yet often misunderstood, component of digital layouts. Designers have hundreds, if not thousands, of font files on their computers that allow them to utilize all kinds of beautiful typefaces in their designs. Your average desktop PC usually has a couple dozen. The issue is that fonts are more like software than files. They are designed to work on certain systems with certain requirements and have usage licenses. Although it may seem like an easy task to copy fonts between computer, that is not usually the case. And even it it seems like it is, it may not even be legal to do so. For that reason, and others, a designer always takes pause when a client asks for files that they can edit on their own computer.If you want to work with layouts that your designer has created for you, be prepared to do a little extra work. You should expect to buy the necessary fonts (some can cost hundreds of dollars) or be limited to those already on your system. And be aware that even if a font has the same name as one your designer uses, it may not be exactly the same. The proportions of the characters may be slightly different and that can cause the text to shift in the document. It’s never a fool proof process. If you desire a layout with a higher level of typographic complexity, it’s really best to leave it to the designer to make sure all the fonts behave themselves.
- You might not have noticed, but this week is traditionally when the US switched back to standard time from Daylight Savings Time. But that didn’t happen this year. In fact, it hasn’t happened since 2007. Why? Because Congress passed a law to change the date in an effort to help reduce energy costs. There is much debate as to whether it has actually had the desired effect, and some still haven’t come to terms with it. Regardless, this Sunday (Nov. 1) at 2 a.m. time will return to normal. If you’re like Matt, the beginning of your Seasonal Affective Disorder is about to kick in (so clients, please take it easy on him the next few weeks). If you’re a glass half full kind of person– congrats, you got yourself an extra hour of sleep. Don’t forget to change your clocks!Read more about the history of daylight savings time.
- This Saturday is Halloween! And in honor of Halloween, we’d like to dedicate a thought to one of the classic symbols of that holiday, the Black Cat. Between the two of us, we have 3 black cats, and we’ve developed quite an attachment to all things “black cat.” We even considered it for a company logo early on in our development. The black cat has gotten quite a bad rap in Western society due to it’s association with witches and superstitions. Remember that in many other places, black cats are associated with good luck. From our experience, black cats are incredibly smart, athletic, affectionate all around dang good companions. So if you have a black cat in your life, give them a head scratch and an extra treat from us this Halloween.
Posted in 3 Thoughts, Blog