Kevin Montgomery | Designer
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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
 
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I've been using this process for a while to perform image enlargements in Photoshop, and  I thought I should put it up on the blog.

After you've enlarged your image:

1. Use the Despeckle command.

This will help to soften the pixelation of the image from the enlargement.

2. Enlarge the image (again) by 200%, using the Bicubic option.

3. Use the Diffuse command, with Anisotropic option.

At 200%, this option works better to improve the edges.

4. Reduce the image by 50%.

5. Use the Unsharp Mask command.

Apply about 60-75%, using a 2px radius, and Threshold 2-4 levels.

And that's it!

The result isn't always perfect, but save this action in Photoshop, and you might just find yourself saving some time cleaning up an image enlargement.

A more detailed version of this process can be found here:
http://www.australiasigns.com.au/Signage%20Magazine/enlarging_images_photoshop.html

 
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Font vs. typeface—they're not the same. Here's an article that explains why. Is It a Font or a Typeface?.

 
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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.”
 
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  • 10MO said his first sentence! As he held his colouring pencil in the air: "YOU DIE!" Not feeding him fast enough? #
  • is cleaning cleaning cleaning... House goes on the market on Tuesday! #
  • Just scored 'The Principles of Successful Freelancing' for free! http://twitaway.com #twitaway #
 
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