type type type
Written by Anna Andreen Monday, 02 February 2009 23:58
In "The Next Big Thing in Online Type," Ann Van Wagner reports on Bill Gates wanting computer users to have a "more enjoyable on-screen reading experience." To do so, Microsoft created 2 serif fonts, 3 sans-serif fonts, and one monospaced font to be shipped out in 2006 with Microsoft operating systems. These fonts were not only meant for online, on-screen use, but hopefully for print as well. These fonts were created to improve upon clarity and structure of type so users would be able to read from the computer screens more easily than before.
In the article, Van Wagner displays all six fonts and reviews them. These six fonts are called Calibri, Cambria, Candara, Consolas, Constantina, and Corbel. All the fonts (in my opinion) are highly readable, even when displayed in bold, italics, or oblique, taking into consideration kerning and word spacing. None of the letters run into one another, all are clean-cut with their own personality, and each are functional. I mean functional as in they are each usable in their own way, some more friendly, business-like, and some versatile, and none are over-the-top in terms of flare. These fonts would allow a broader range of choices as well as facilitate a more pleasurable and easy reading experience, especially if sites are being viewed through a handheld device where everything is super-small. Though these fonts were created by Microsoft, Mac users can view them if "the operator has licensed them for embedding or if an individual has licensed them for personal use."
(Personally, I think there should be a font-revolution for a new set of fonts to be created that are widely, if not fully, supported by multiple platforms to give a new range and easier readability to designers and users everywhere)