: Blog

Alas, Christmas is coming.

For all who want to know, here's my Amazon wish list!

http://www.amazon.ca/wishlist/1OWX5222Y6RXP

Alright, the title of this article might be a little stronger than the message. Let me get to the point.

I tried my hand recently with focusing more on coding work. It seemed a sensible thing to do with the imminent implementation of HTML5 coming. A lot has changed since I last mingled seriously with JavaScript, or took a look at the guts of a CSS document. It was almost like taking a stroll down memory lane, and I even felt inspired to write a sputtering JavaScript piece to apply some typesetting sensibility. I also had the opportunity to speak to other coders, and look at other server-side languages like Ruby, and Rails. In doing so I think I also taught myself a very valuable lesson. I'm not a coder.

That's not the same thing as saying I can't code. I just don't consider myself to be a professional level, dedicated coder, any more than I would consider myself a mechanic just because I can do basic maintenance on my car. I focus on what I need done to create an experience, and go about it in the most efficient and effective way I know how.

I now find myself thinking more about the user experience, and how certain code examples would impact a person using it in an interface. I was more excited about understanding the impact of a code's design than in reading and learning the jargon of the code.

So. I'm looking forward to the future of web design, and to reaping the rewards of the hard work all of those real web developers are graciously providing to designers like me.

Update: I believe this article is now obsolete with the gradual adoption of the @font-face property in the CSS3 specification. I'll leave this article here because I enjoy ancient history!

Periodically, I like to revise my list of web safe fonts. I know that these lists exist all over the internet, but I like to keep my own records to reflect my own expectations. These results check against operating system font installations for Mac OS X 10.3+ and Windows XP. The web safe fonts are:

1. Arial
2. Arial Black
3. Comic Sans MS
4. Courier New
5. Georgia
6. Symbol (Interestingly, this is the only font result that isn't also one of Microsoft's Core fonts for the Web
7. Times New Roman
8. Trebuchet MS
9. Webdings

I recently finished reading a small, impact-full book called “Epic” by John Eldridge. Though the book is primarily a Christian theme, I realized as I was reading the prologue how the importance of a “story” has implications in design. A good quote to consider might be one spoken by Samwise Gamgee in J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings:

“I wonder what sort of tale we've landed in.”

One of the key ideas in Epic is that every situation is a small part of a larger story. The design implication here is that every solution should anticipate a story, and have a plan as to how each story should unfold. Using personas would be a good way to achieve this. This sort of consideration leads to designs that are meaningful and relevant. William Shakesphere's Macbeth has a good quote that could also be applied to design, and that is to avoid a design that is:

“...but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.”