Web Typography - Part1

If i were asked one important reason why i enjoy doing a print design more that a web design, the answer will be "TYPOGRAPHY". You really get to play around with fonts and give life to the design in print.The type face slected by itself speaks a language, complementing the design.

What are the main bottlenecks in webdesign as far as typography goes.
1. You do not have control over the output. i.e. you never know which browser the user will view your file. Browser compatability is a mojor consideration to stick to conventional type faces.
2. Resolution - in your print output you can set your resolution to 300 dpi (dots per inch) to improve the quality. But in web you have no control over this (close to 76-96 dpi). So you stick to the legible sans-serif's.
3. In print its the subtractive color system (CMYK) and in web its the addditive color system(RGB). This is explained in detail in my previous posting. In the additive color system RGB is combined in full intensity to give white. This gives an overly luminous effect. (Remember most of us reduce the brightness level in our miniter for convenience, this is the reason). This might not directly influence the font face you use, but understanding helps.

In the next part i will be discussing about principles in web typography

Comments are welcome!!!

Color: RGB and CMYK

Color is a very important mechanism used to develop and reinforce a concept or identity. Any color display you see on your monitor is a RGB combination or the RED, Green and Blue combination. RGB is a "additive color combination", i.e. when you add red, green and blue you get white. The printed color display is a CMYK combination or the Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. This is also known as "4-color process" or "full color" printing. CMYK is a "subtractive color combination", when cyan, magenta and yellow colors are added it absorbs all the light and your eye perceives a black color.

Understanding of RGB and CMYK color space is very essential for designers and people who work in this field. This would clarify as to why some colors look different in a print as to seeing in a monitor.
http://marvin.mrtoads.com/rgb_vs_cmyk.html is a useful site for designers who work in the print media.

I find myself using more of the curves tool when working in the CMYK mode. This i guess is basically to balance the cyan and magenta values to bring the requiered shade of blue in the print output. Mac is any day preferable to work for print designs for the caliberation closeness between the screen and print. (I can still hear the mac guy cursing me for all the nagging i've done to caliberate my monitor to perfection)