Re: Physical and logical fonts
failure_to@yahoo.co.uk wrote:
thus why not have just one logical category which could map to all
physical fonts?
RedGrittyBrick wrote:
Firstly because most GUI apps need more than [one] font. Five visually
distinct fonts is a reasonable number to have available for most GUI apps.
Any more runs you into ransom-note typography, a common but egregious layout
mistake.
One guide I read years ago, and I believe Microsoft has some online material
to support this, suggested that one select one each of three types of font
family: a proportional serif font, a proportional sans serif font, and a
monospace font. Use the serif one for explanatory text, the sans serif one
for headlines and subject headings, prompts and the like, and the monospaced
one for special purposes. Rarely if ever should one put a fourth font family
into the mix. Size and stroke (normal vs. oblique) one may vary sparingly at
need.
Microsoft specifically recommends the Windows fonts Georgia (proportional
serif), Verdana (proportional sans serif) and Courier New (monospaced) for web
pages. Most places I've worked use Times New Roman (in a larger point size
than you'd use for Georgia), Arial and Courier or Courier New, respectively.
I personally am fond of the "Book(man)" and "Bitstream" category of fonts.
They have near equivalents in both the Linux and Windows worlds, too.
--
Lew