Font wars
Georgia on my mind
February 23, 2007 29 comments
Design interlude: this is a test post formatted in a serif font, unlike the sans-serif fonts used for previous posts. In order to create a seductive yet temporary oasis of aesthetic democracy in my otherwise dictatorial fiefdom, I open the question of which font unspeak.net should use for new posts to you, the readers.
Do the serifs make it easier to read and even lend it a patina of rationality — as though you were reading something printed, and therefore indubitably true? Or do you like the no-nonsense old-skool screen font of yore? Listen to your eyes: the decision is yours!
Update: the old font wins, 66-55!
I think the serifs help to make the content of the post stand out amongst the san-serif font used around it for titles, navigation etc. making it easier to read.
I don’t know about anyone else’s experience but the Andreas theme, which I use myself (shameless steal from Steven), seems on IE to push anything wider than maybe 61 characters down past the last item on either left or right columns. Not on Firefox though. I find that more distressing than Georgia. But only just.
Hmmm, the voting is excitingly close so far. Does that happen with IE on this site, Graham?
OLD ONE!!
Oddly enough, the Firefox IE show identical stats – with my preference creeping up after a shaky start. I’ll email about the IE thing.
me like serif for block text. Me find more easier on eyes/brain.
The votes are 35/35 as I write this.
I like the new Georgia font, but it isn’t rendering correctly in Newsgator, where I normally read your posts… so I’ll have to vote against it. Sorry … or not, depending on which choice you favored.
I don’t know the technical reason why some fonts render badly in the readers, but you might want to experiment with the appearance of your posts in Newsgator or Bloglines before you choose a new font. It may be just the size you chose that caused a problem, and modifying it just slightly might make a difference.
Off to vote now….
Sans please!
Avec serif is very non-U.
Ooh! Close vote.
Old one stands out better. Put it back!
Is one allowed to vote more than once?
Dale: Newsgator renders it as a big sans font, probably because the font-size info is encoded in this post, when it won’t be if and when I change the stylesheet.
sw: that is a very delicate question. The proper answer, of course, is “No”.
I’ll leave the poll open over the weekend. It looks like whatever I do, I’ll piss off about half my readers. You see, democracy is rubbish.
“Half my readers”? This is a poll. You’ll only piss off half my readers who bother to vote in polls. Please be more precise when considering the results of polls in the future.
Out with the old, in with the new! ¡Viva la Revolución!
I only like democracy when my side wins. Go the sans!
SW: you are of course right, though any of my readers who don’t bother to vote in polls will hardly be able to complain when I switch the entire site to Comic Sans.
Sans is crisper, and OK for short reads, although serif is supposed to be easier on the eye (and therefore presumably better for longer reads) because the serifs themselves urge the eye on in some way. I’ve never really worked out whether that’s true or just bullshit, but maybe some readers perceive things differently. Some sans fonts are better than others, of course, and I rather like Trebuchet and Verdana (which look very alike, on my screen, anyway).
Steven,
Not very true. Did you mean ‘hardly be justified in complaining’? (Of course, you could always block comments along with the font switch!)
I will certainly block comments like that.
If you switch the whole site to comic sans you will have solved the problem. No readers, no comments to block….
“…my readers who don’t bother to vote in polls will hardly be able to complain when I switch the entire site to Comic Sans.”
Comic Sans was an option? I want that one!
By not including Comic Sans on the ballot, you are deliberately disenfranchising silly people.
OK – now I’ve thought this through, and I say go with sans: it connotes high modernist hyperbole, and with it the limits of rational discourse. Those comfy serifs with their tidy rationality are themselves a form of unspeak.
This site stands for nothing if not high-modernist hyperbole and the limits of rational discourse.
Well, it was a close-run thing, but sans wins. Thanks for voting!
IAAL. Today my opponent served on me a skeleton argument, submitting that an indictment alleging rape should be stayed as an abuse of the process of the court (on account of delay and various other reasons). He really had drafted this document in comic sans.
Surely he can be disbarred for such an intemperate use of “crazy” fontstyles? If not, I don’t know what the world’s coming to. Perhaps Tony Blair can draw up some new legislation to address this looming menace?
Garsh, I leave town for a couple of days and miss all the serif fun.
Steven will know I’ve got a thing for letters, as I tormented him with my reading of the transversed E in his title and emblem. . .
I’m glad you’re sticking with the non-serif.
Nice work, folks!
I voted so many times for each option that I can’t even remember which one I wanted to win.
the old font appears to have won the war but lost the peace; as of 0945 GMT, the entire front page of the blog is in serif.
I see it all now – the fiendish plot.
Steven has offered us a metaphor for war. He has even called it “Font Wars“.
He has preemptively, and unbidden, foisted the sweet fruits of democracy upon a people whose fontish prejudices have until now been safely controlled. He has provoked perhaps the one thing that divided his readers. In the process he has inflamed discontent and unleashed serifarian hostility.
With the genie now released, how can Steven ever hope to restore civility?
No matter who had won, half of his readers must always harbour resentment against those who voted successfully. Can there be an exit strategy?
How can Steven now hope to reconcile the factions, prevent all-out civil war and avoid chaos?
Thanks dsquared – fixed! (Or broken, depending on which side of the Wars you were on.)
Graham’s metaphorical reading is perfect. I’m going to have a surge now.