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Thread: question about font

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Number of posts in this thread: 9 (In chronological order)

From: Rachael Zubal
Date: Tue, Sep 04 2001 11:35AM
Subject: question about font
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I have a quick question for all you resourceful people.
I've heard from someone that the Verdana font (I believe) is one of the best fonts for web pages.
Does anyone have information on this? I see many pages and some email on this list formatted with this font, but would like to know more.
Rachael Zubal
Information Coordinator & Web Master
Center on Human Policy
= EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
http://soeweb.syr.edu/thechp/

From: Elaine Montambeau
Date: Wed, Sep 05 2001 12:21AM
Subject: Re: question about font
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Rachael,
Here is a good page for information on
Web fonts
http://www.wpdfd.com/wpdtypo.htm
It does talk a little bit about Verdana.
Hope this helps
Elaine
Rachael Zubal wrote:
>
> I have a quick question for all you resourceful people.
>
> I've heard from someone that the Verdana font (I believe) is one of the best fonts for web pages.
>
> Does anyone have information on this? I see many pages and some email on this list formatted with this font, but would like to know more.
>
> Rachael Zubal
> Information Coordinator & Web Master
> Center on Human Policy
> = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
> http://soeweb.syr.edu/thechp/
--
Elaine Montambeau : : Web Designer
Department of Academic Computing
College of Charleston
= EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
http://www.cofc.edu/~elainem
http://www.cofc.edu
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

From: Rachael Zubal
Date: Tue, Sep 04 2001 1:27PM
Subject: Re: question about font
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This is an interesting page, but I don't see how it relates to accessibility...

>>> = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = 09/04/01 14:20 PM >>>
Rachael,
Here is a good page for information on
Web fonts
http://www.wpdfd.com/wpdtypo.htm
It does talk a little bit about Verdana.
Hope this helps
Elaine
Rachael Zubal wrote:
>
> I have a quick question for all you resourceful people.
>
> I've heard from someone that the Verdana font (I believe) is one of the best fonts for web pages.
>
> Does anyone have information on this? I see many pages and some email on this list formatted with this font, but would like to know more.
>
> Rachael Zubal
> Information Coordinator & Web Master
> Center on Human Policy
> = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
> http://soeweb.syr.edu/thechp/
--
Elaine Montambeau : : Web Designer
Department of Academic Computing
College of Charleston
= EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
http://www.cofc.edu/~elainem
http://www.cofc.edu
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

From: Kristin Evenson Hirst
Date: Tue, Sep 04 2001 1:35PM
Subject: Re: question about font
← Previous message | Next message →

At 01:31 PM 9/4/01 -0400, Rachael Zubal < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
>I've heard from someone that the Verdana font (I believe) is one of the
best fonts for web pages.
>Does anyone have information on this?
From the Software Usability Research Lab, Dept of Psychology, Wichita
State University:
Usability News, Summer 2001
"A Comparison of Popular Online Fonts: Which is Best and When? "
http://psychology.wichita.edu/surl/usabilitynews/3S/font.htm
"...no significant difference in actual legibility between the font types
were detected. ... In this study, the font types that were perceived as
being most legible were Courier, Comic, Verdana, Georgia, and Times."
Ralph Wilson has an article at
http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmt6/html-email-fonts.htm on his email survey to
determine what his readers considered the most readable fonts and sizes for
HTML e-mail. He found:
"At the 12 point size, Arial is preferred for readability 6 to 4, while
two-thirds of respondents see Verdana 12 pt. as too large for body text.
But at 10 pt. and below, the readability preference shifts to Verdana. At
10 pt. Verdana is preferred over Arial for readability 2 to 1. And at 9 pt.
Verdana is preferred over Arial for readability by a 3 to 1 margin.
...My readers clearly prefer sans serif fonts to serif fonts for body text.
Therefore, in my HTML e-mail newsletters -- and on my websites -- I am
moving toward 12 pt. Arial for body text, and Verdana for 10 pt. and 9 p.
fonts. I haven't done adequate studies comparing Georgia against Verdana
for readability, but since Georgia isn't as widely installed as Verdana, I
plan to stick with Verdana. "

Kristin Evenson Hirst, Hirst Logics website development
http://www.hirstlogics.com/
PO Box 733, Iowa City IA 52244 -- e-mail: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
phone: 319-621-0943
fax: 815-352-1685

From: Elaine Montambeau
Date: Tue, Sep 04 2001 2:09PM
Subject: Re: question about font
← Previous message | Next message →

Rachael,
I must have misunderstood your question.
I thought you were looking for information
about verdana as a web font.
However, seeing verdana was designed as a screen font
this would make it easier to read and therefore may be
more accessible to those with a visual impairment.


Rachael Zubal wrote:
>
> This is an interesting page, but I don't see how it relates to accessibility...
>
> >>> = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = 09/04/01 14:20 PM >>>
> Rachael,
>
> Here is a good page for information on
> Web fonts
> http://www.wpdfd.com/wpdtypo.htm
>
> It does talk a little bit about Verdana.
>
> Hope this helps
> Elaine
>
> Rachael Zubal wrote:
> >
> > I have a quick question for all you resourceful people.
> >
> > I've heard from someone that the Verdana font (I believe) is one of the best fonts for web pages.
> >
> > Does anyone have information on this? I see many pages and some email on this list formatted with this font, but would like to know more.
> >
> > Rachael Zubal
> > Information Coordinator & Web Master
> > Center on Human Policy
> > = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
> > http://soeweb.syr.edu/thechp/
>
> --
> Elaine Montambeau : : Web Designer
> Department of Academic Computing
> College of Charleston
> = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
> http://www.cofc.edu/~elainem
> http://www.cofc.edu
> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
--
Elaine Montambeau : : Web Designer
Department of Academic Computing
College of Charleston
= EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
http://www.cofc.edu/~elainem
http://www.cofc.edu
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

From: Tim Harshbarger
Date: Tue, Sep 04 2001 2:51PM
Subject: Re: question about font
← Previous message | Next message →

Kristin,
Thanks for those articles.
It would be interesting to see the same results performed on a group of subjects with less than 20-40 corrected vision. My hypothesis is that the insignificant speed differences might become more pronounced under those circumstances. Anyone interested in doing some research?
Thanks,
Tim


-----Original Message-----
From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = [mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ]
Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2001 2:31 PM
To: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
Subject: Re: question about font

At 01:31 PM 9/4/01 -0400, Rachael Zubal < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
>I've heard from someone that the Verdana font (I believe) is one of the
best fonts for web pages.
>Does anyone have information on this?
From the Software Usability Research Lab, Dept of Psychology, Wichita
State University:
Usability News, Summer 2001
"A Comparison of Popular Online Fonts: Which is Best and When? "
http://psychology.wichita.edu/surl/usabilitynews/3S/font.htm
"...no significant difference in actual legibility between the font types
were detected. ... In this study, the font types that were perceived as
being most legible were Courier, Comic, Verdana, Georgia, and Times."
Ralph Wilson has an article at
http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmt6/html-email-fonts.htm on his email survey to
determine what his readers considered the most readable fonts and sizes for
HTML e-mail. He found:
"At the 12 point size, Arial is preferred for readability 6 to 4, while
two-thirds of respondents see Verdana 12 pt. as too large for body text.
But at 10 pt. and below, the readability preference shifts to Verdana. At
10 pt. Verdana is preferred over Arial for readability 2 to 1. And at 9 pt.
Verdana is preferred over Arial for readability by a 3 to 1 margin.
...My readers clearly prefer sans serif fonts to serif fonts for body text.
Therefore, in my HTML e-mail newsletters -- and on my websites -- I am
moving toward 12 pt. Arial for body text, and Verdana for 10 pt. and 9 p.
fonts. I haven't done adequate studies comparing Georgia against Verdana
for readability, but since Georgia isn't as widely installed as Verdana, I
plan to stick with Verdana. "

Kristin Evenson Hirst, Hirst Logics website development
http://www.hirstlogics.com/
PO Box 733, Iowa City IA 52244 -- e-mail: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
phone: 319-621-0943
fax: 815-352-1685

From: Patricia Chadwick
Date: Wed, Sep 05 2001 2:54PM
Subject: Re: question about font
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Verdana was designed specifically for viewing on screen (as opposed to
print).
Pat

From: Mark Mangennis
Date: Wed, Sep 05 2001 5:43PM
Subject: Re: question about font
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Has anyone mentioned Tiresias yet?
Tiresias is a range of typefaces designed to maximise legibility on screens,
labelling and signage. It was originally designed for television subtitles.
Tiresias Screenfont has been adopted by the UK Digital Television Group as
the resident font for digital terrestrial television. It is heavily endorsed
by the Royal National Institute for the Blind in the UK. For more
information, go to http://www.tiresias.org/fonts/home.htm
Mark
> -----Original Message-----
> From: WebAIM forum [mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ]On Behalf Of
> Patricia Chadwick
> Sent: 04 September 2001 18:49
> To: WebAIM forum
> Subject: RE: question about font
>
>
> Verdana was designed specifically for viewing on screen (as opposed to
> print).
>
> Pat
>
>
>

From: Ratliff, Diana M.
Date: Thu, Sep 13 2001 9:57AM
Subject: Re: question about font
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It's coincidental you should ask this, Rachael, because I just read an
article about it yesterday. Basically, the article concluded that while
Verdana is usually a very readable font, that it should be AVOIDED for web
pages (as should Arial) because Unix computers will view those pages poorly
(something about metrics being badly set and those two fonts looking very
small).
The author recommends helvetica & sans-serif.
Diana Ratliff
Head Underling & Accessible Design Specialist
IAT Services, Adaptive Computing Technology (ACT) Center
573/882-5958 * = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION! (It comes bundled with the software.)