the font wars

This page is under development. It highlights research into online fonts - characters specifically developed or modified for display in HTML and e-book formats.

It also offers a perspective on the 'font wars', disagreement about typography that's been rumbling since Gutenberg and flares periodically with the introduction of new technologies such as the rotary press or the internet.

     typography

The Print profile on this site features detailed pointers to the history of typography, including works such as Anthony Cahalan's brief paper Design & Consumption: The Proliferation of Typefaces (PDF), Robert Bringhurst's The Elements of Typographical Style (Vancouver: Hartley & Marx 96), TypeRight and Stop Stealing Sheep (& Find Out How Type Works) (Mountain View: Adobe 93) by Erik Spiekermann & EM Ginger.

     Research

There's extensive although uneven research about the 'readability' of online and offline fonts.

We've pointed to particular studies - such as A Comparison of Popular Online Fonts: Which is Best and When? (an account of research by Bernard, Mills, Peterson & Storrer) and Determining the Best Online Font for Older Adults (an account by Bernard, Mills & Liao) - in our Design Guide.

     New fonts

Our Electronic Publishing guide notes Microsoft's promotion of ClearType, proprietary font display technology claimed to significantly increase screen readability as part of Reader software for PCs and handheld devices. 

ClearType's been criticised as too rubbery, providing insufficient protection against unauthorised copying/redistribution - perhaps the major impediment to the growth of the electronic book market. 






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