BLOG: Sizing up Type Sizing


Different people come at the problem of CSS type sizes differently. Some tell you never to size type, period. Others tell you to stick to the length constants. Still others suggest that sizing is all right as long as you use relative units.

Based on the overwhelming number of people surfing the Web with more or less recent browsers, it seems that type sizing with relative units is safe enough for general-purpose Websites. This conclusion assumes that most Web surfing happens by way of Microsoft Internet Explorer on Windows desktop or laptop computers. This isn't a product endorsement. It's simply a fact of life. The last couple of versions of IE for Windows handle CSS pixel units pretty well, so the problem is, for all practical purposes, solved. However, if you expect a larger-than-usual proportion of visitors coming to your site with wireless phones, PDAs, Macintoshes, Netscapes, or older Windows browsers, you would be wise to heed the warnings of the more conservative type-sizers among us.

The first goal of a Web site is to present content. This content must be accessible and usable, and therefore it must be legible. Any aesthetic or design concerns must always defer to usability, no matter how it pains your inner arteest.

Of course, the correlation between effective design and usability is not trivial. You'll find no argument here about that. But it's one thing to strive for an effective and intuitive graphical layout, and it's another to split hairs over online typography. So if type sizing has to go to make your site more usable to more of your audience, then go it must.



Web Design Garage
Web Design Garage
ISBN: 0131481991
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 202
Authors: Marc Campbell

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