Walters Web Design

What not to wear: Font Edition

2010-02-22T10:23:00.000-08:00

A few words for prospective clients about font choice.

It seems I often find myself in the awkward situation of being almost finished with a client's web design and excitedly preparing to add it to my Portfolio when I get the call or email...

Hey, I don't know if you noticed, but my old promotional materials all used the font "Comic Sans". When can we get that updated on the web site?

Now I know this is something that should have been handled in consultation from the outset, and often it is. Sometimes, though I find myself just conveniently glossing over this issue. I make some mock-ups using fonts I think are the most appropriate, and if the client approves, we move forward and I never overtly explain why I ignored the fonts they've been using.

When someone has a vision for his or her business, it is difficult as a designer to say, "Trust me. I have your best interests in mind, and you're making a terrible choice about font." People like what they like, and not everyone has a keen interest in typography. It is my job, though, to care about such things. I decided, therefore, to put together this little guide for prospective clients browsing my web site to avoid any awkward, potentially insulting conversations later.

Stuff you can't change: Why your whole site can't be in a funky font.

A web page typically is coded with style info in CSS. In CSS font families are used (a set of related fonts, grouped as font families. For example, the Times family includes different font sizes, styles) to control the body text of the web page. What's more, "The web browser will only be able to apply a font if it is available to it, which is not always the case" (wikipedia). You see fonts are actually short software programs. Fonts are protected under intellectual property law and are subject to the same legal usage restrictions as other software (Adobe). For this reason, your options for the font of your site are limited to the following families:

The Good

Here are some recommendations for quality fonts you may consider for graphic portions of your web site, like logos. I don't intend to reinvent the wheel here, or pretend to be an expert. I rely on the expertise of a select group of credible others when it comes to typography. I've linked them below for your perusal.

The Bad

First let me explain why this section consists largely of links. I want you to know that these are not my opinions. Do a Google search for top 10 overused fonts or top ten worst fonts, these results will display on the first and second page of results:

The Beautiful

Designing a logo? Getting a business card ready to send off to the printer? Need a font that's fresh but not going to be made fun of by the printer you send it to? Check out this site: http://www.josbuivenga.demon.nl/

Thoughts on "playing school" and living life...

2010-02-17T11:48:00.000-08:00

Though, I am a complete newbie at the art, I consider myself an aikidōka, or Aikido practitioner. Every Tuesday, Thursday, & Saturday, barring illness or family emergency, I go to "our" dojo and subject myself to the teaching of the Sensei.

I enter the dojo, and remove my shoes at the door. After changing into my Gi, I make a standing bow to enter the mat. A few minutes before class time my classmates and I warm up and formally seat ourselves (seiza) along the Shimoza in quiet meditation to rid our minds of the day's problems and prepare for study.
As I sit, practicing deep abdominal breathing, and taking in the smells, sounds, and sights of the moment, My peripheral vision notes my my instructor as he makes his way onto the mat. He seats himself facing the Kamiza, slapping back his hakama as he does so. We formally bow in, a process which ends with our saying "Onegai shimasu," Loosely translated "Please give me your instruction."

All of this takes place before a single piece of technique is demonstrated or any kata performed. Is this some religious observance? No. We bow as a sign of respect for our classmates, our teacher, and our discipline, among other things. Of course this observance is so much more. I would rather miss Aikido altogether than come late and miss bowing in. This is not simply etiquette. It's part of the aesthetic of what we're doing. It puts us in the right frame of mind. As a designer, I would say that this is one of those moments where form is as important as function.

There are numerous times in life where this is true as well. You could be the best at your job, with more technical skill that all of your colleagues combined, but if you do not abide by the ettiquette established in your workplace , you're more likely to be canned than advanced. Life is a series of conventional and ceremonial observances. This is how we live.

"Playing School"

Near the end of last school year, our faculty attended a professional development round table, either in a faculty meeting or in-service (I can't remember which) that discussed our grading practices. Basically, the question that drove our discussion was "should we penalize students in terms of grades for their unwillingness to play school?" It was pointed out to us, in other words, that we had many students who understood the material perfectly well, but they were failing multiple disciplines due to their refusal to:

Respect the teacher
Turn in assignments (at all not just on time)
Work in class

This meeting was precipitated by our exceptionally high retention rate, and the general tone suggested that if fewer teachers were so nit-picky, we would have a lot more students passing.

Time to reflect

At the time, I was sold completely on the idea of grading on content more than context. Even though, I have perhaps 2-4 students / year who score below an 83% in Computer Information Technology, I started to look at my own grading practices. I would say that the scoring breakdown for my class is about 40% product and 60% process. A big part of process in tech is "procedures" and "professionalism". Basically, students who come in (often from other districts) who can barely type, but follow all of the procedures, work hard, and improve will pass. The students, who may or may not know what they're doing, that refuse to work and blow off their lab periods, will ultimately fail.

Since that fateful meeting, I've been looking at my scoring practices and trying to determine how they can be changed. I've been struggling to do so, though, and I can't figure out why. I consider myself a radical constructivist, and I've never struggled with changing teaching practices before...

Then, last week it hit me, like mune-tsuki! Procedures and professionalism are just as if not more important than products. I'm certified in BCIT and my course falls under the Business umbrella. If my students can't "play school", how can I expect them to "play office" or "play life", for that matter?

My mentor (yes, I am in my 9th year of teaching, but he'll always be my mentor), Tony Bachman, begins each year with a brief trip around the globe in terms of school rules. Highlights include school rules in the Japanese classroom, which actually includes bows and cleanup chores, much like my Aikido dojo; The Chinese classroom, which includes obeying the teacher without question; and a throwback to the 80's with the Soviet Classroom. He does this, on one hand, to show how non-invasive his expectations for conduct are.

Ultimately, though, it should develop a cultural awareness that different morays of behavior are expected in different contexts. This is a classroom, and while it is positioned in the middle of this great democracy, you are still expected to recognize that it is indeed a place of learning and scholarly behavior is expected.

The more I think of this whole "playing school" discussion, the more I am convinced that our expectations are not too high for student behavior, but are perhaps too low across the board. Is it any wonder that we have advanced level students blowing off standardized tests because they're smart enough to know the results have no consequences for them personally? If our students aren't ready to excel in the 21st Century global business place, it's not likely because of their lack of computer and math skills, but rather becuase of a lack of social awareness, let alone social ettiquette.

Aikido, Iaido, The Internet, & "The Phone book???"

2010-02-03T08:02:00.000-08:00

My Quest

This last October, Lanette and I had a discussion about my increasing lack of physical activity. I used to work out somewhat regularly at a local health club that shut down suddenly amid much controversy. Though I am not in the worst shape, walking into a gym or fitness club feels like giving a speech in my underwear to me. It doesn't matter whether anyone is looking at me or not, I feel like an impostor when I walk into a health club. The new place my wife works out just wasn't doing it for me, and I felt ever more awkward when I went there.
In the midst of our discussion, a light went on in my head. I've dreamed for most of my adult life of taking a Japanese martial art, at least one on this incredibly broad and inclusive list (note: broad and inclusive used sarcastically here).

You see the unifying theme here? Basically, I wanted to "play Samurai", and this workout deal was my "in". I shared this list with Lanette and, with here enthusiastic encouragement, began searching for a local dojo. I spent October and November searching the Internet, using every possible search term I could; asking friends and acquaintances; and posting pleas on twitter. I also trolled a lot of martial arts forums. When all was said and done, I came to the unfortunate conclusion that not a single one of these arts was practiced closer than 40 miles (about 60 minutes driving) from my house. This was not an acceptable commute.

Aikido

By late November, with Lanette's patience wearing thin, I finally found Susquehanna Aikido. No Aikido, was no on my expansive list, but Aikido does do bokken work, which was what I most wanted. Incidentally, it is less than 10 minutes from my house. I began participating there, about thrice a week in late November, and I passed my Seventh Kyu test last week.

I really enjoy Aikido, the club, and all of the people I work out with. Lanette has supported my endeavor with surprising enthusiasm. I'm occasionally disappointed at how little we do actually work with bokuto, but I understand that Aikido is more focused on practical defense, and sword work is probably not high on that list. Also, as silly of a thing as it may be, I'm really bummed that we don't wear the Hakama in Aikido until we reach black belt, which takes about 8-10 years to attain, from what I understand. I know, it's just pleated pants that look a lot like a dress, but the hakama was almost as important as the sword to me.

The Kicker

Okay, here's the kicker. The other day I was tinkering around with Google Maps on my Iphone, and for what ever reason I entered the search term, "Iaido". This was a bad idea. A little dot popped up on the map, not miles away in Mechanicsburg, PA or Kensington, MD. No it was 5 minutes from my house in New Salem! Arrgh! The place had no web site, and is only listed as "Ki Karate" in the Phone book, mentioning nothing about Iaido. I pass it daily on my way to work, and never once did I notice the large white letters "Iaido" in the window. I called the place and found out what I would need to buy and when they met, and my disappointment grew. I'm not sure what's the most frustrating / disappointing...

The fact that the classes meet the same time as my Aikido weapons class (my favorite part of Aikido),
The fact that the initial equipment investment will never be approved in light of what I already spent on Aikido, or
The fact that I was so close to having exactly what I wanted.

The bottom line is, I really enjoy Aikido, and I'm not likely to quit anytime soon. I just wish I had the unlimited time and resources ($) now to practice two arts. I really need to be content in what I have and what I'm doing.
I probably will take Iaido at some point, likely in the distant future. For now, I will concentrate on Aikido. My mind and body have all the coordination of a clumsy 2-year-old, and I need to remedy that before I consider branching out. Besides, all of the instructors at my dojo are excellent and worthy of respect. The atmosphere is supportive. My fellow kyu are all dedicated and friendly. Most of all, when I am there, I am truly present in the moment with what I am doing. I don't clock-watch. I don't think about my grocery list or what I did in class this morning. That alone is worth the price of membership.

The Moral of the Story

The moral of the story is that without a Web Site in the 21st century, It's very difficult for someone to find you. Sure this joint was listed in that antiquated volume, known as "The Phone Book", but the listing said "Karate", not "Iaido" or even "Jujitsu", which is also taught there. You can't keyword search a phone book, and let's face it, it's not likely anyone is willing or able to inquire at every listing in the Phonebook whether or not a joint teaches an art that they're not listed as teaching in the Phone Book.

Out of Stock: Hopefully not a harbinger of things to come...

2009-11-18T08:37:00.000-08:00

A little background...

More often than not, over the last year, when I go online looking for a book, I seem to perpetually find myself facing no options to buy it new from the company I went to in the first place. Typically, I'm using Amazon, and I get the message that I can buy it from some third-party seller, who may or may not be reputable. I've assumed, perhaps erroniously, that it's just because I'm looking for old books that weren't that popular.

A recent experience

Recently, I finished the last book in the Tales of the Otori, and I decided I want to read the prequel, "Heaven's Net is Wide", which came out in September of '08. That's las Fall, kids. Anyway, once again, the standard buying option is not available! http://tinyurl.com/ykwrtyu While looking at this, somewhat in disbelief because i know this to be a popular series, I did note that the Kindle version was available. Further investigation revealed many other titles I've sought of late are also only available for the Kindle... A disturbing trend, perhaps.

Now, I wish to temper my words at this point, as I don't want to sound like an alarmist conspiracy-theorist. I do want to say, as a web-designer, computer teacher, online facilitator,and iPhone user, I take great pleasure and solace in being able to relax with the printed page. There's something about a real book that NO gadget will EVER replace. The more Amazon offers books on Kindle only, the more I'll take my money elsewhere...

//UNDER CONSTRUCTION//

2009-10-13T07:46:00.000-07:00

The old walters web design blog is about to undergo a major facelift thanks to Amanda Fazani over at bloggerbuster. I was really intrigued by her super custom template, and I'm working on tweaking in out wwd style. The long and short of it is.

This blog may look like a gypsy's nightmare for a few days. I've tried to test all of my code in another blog, but I still have to construct my widgets, badges, and assorted sidebar paraphernalia in dreamweaver. Please bear with me, as I take care of the necessary changes. When all is done, awesomeness should abound.

Sheer Brilliance

2009-09-29T11:33:00.000-07:00

Good examples of great design that have me stoked this week.
In the constant effort to improve my own work and provide great examples for students, I find myself often on the look out for good design examples. I’ll be giving a shout-out to everything from my church’s new web site to the new Themes and Styles available in MS Word of all places.

LWCC York’s new FAQ page

http://www.lwccyork.com/pages/page.asp?page_id=70814
The sheer brilliance here comes from the amazing use of awkward silence. Just click on the page and enjoy for 2 or 3 minutes. This isn’t simply a brilliant concept rendered with great design and amazing flash coding, it’s also a great example of fabulous video editing.
Wow, that’s a lot of positive adjectives… I hope I have some left for the rest.

Styles & Themes in Word 07

Yeah, I’m not a big MS Office fan by any means. In fact, the only thing that brought me back out of Linux and into Windows at home was Adobe CS4 (that and the fact that Dansguardian kept going buggy on me). Anyway, despite my general lack of enthusiasm about Office products, I was delighted to discover that the core applications in the suite now contain new Themes and Styles that make it easier to use really sound design techniques.
The styles can be found under the Home tab on the ribbon and contain elements lik “h1″, “h2″, “quote”, and so on, much like the styles found in Web and Print design applications. The themes, found under the Page Layout tab are like a quick style sheet that can be applied to your document to quickly change the look of Headings (”h1″, “h2″, etc) and other various styles in addition to shapes, text boxes, headers, footers and other page elements. Not only is this great design, particularly for Microsoft, but it will also help ease the transition to tools like blogs and wikis that control text using styles and themes.
Perhaps Microsoft learned something while trying to copy Adobe’s Creative Suite with Microsoft Expression.

Drops Like Stars

Rob Bell’s new book may not technically be much on substance. The actual content is sparse at best. It is, however, a brilliant example of stunning print design
I looked at this volume at my local Borders store recently. I didn’t spring for the 39.95 cover price, but I did consider it. If I knew the proceeds were going to some urban mission project or something, I’d probably buy it for my classroom.
I don’t know whether to attribute the amazing design found in Bell’s books to Zondervan, Flannel, or Bell, himself, but I am never disappointed by sheer beauty of these sparce designs.
The challenge I so often face in trying to improve student designs is explaining the less-is-more concept. This book, though it is rich in art and photography, is not cluttered, crowded, or busy.

Great Shirts… Glitchy Web Site

http://shop.ugmonk.com/
A colleague familiar with my love of design forwarded this site to me last week. If I could bring myself to drop $24.00 for a shirt, I’d be all over these… or rather, they would be all over me… Either way, I’m just impressed that anyone is even making shirts this cool. Typically, I find t-shirts in general to be a bit over-trendy and unnecessarily indulgent when it comes to design elements.
I was pretty disappointed, though , that the style sheet for the web site didn’t load when I pulled it up. I assume the site looks better than what I’m currently seeing in my browser.

A matter of Compliance...

2009-03-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

In today’s down economy, it’s not often you get good news for your business. Well, here’s some good news. In reviewing the Web Sites I currently have active on the web, I noticed that many are not up to current ADA standards compliance. Due to changes in web standards, the preferred format for web sites is CSS. For years, I've use the old tried and true method of Fireworks >Dreamweaver table-based html. “Hold up there, skippy… Didn’t you say this was supposed to be good news?” Well the long and short of it is that I will be redesigning all client sites (of those who permit me to do so at least) for standards compliance absolutely free. Yes, that’s right. I said “free”. I value my clients and I see their web sites as a reflection of my care and integrity as a designer.