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    7/31/2005

    The Next Big Thing in Online Type

     
    The Next Big Thing in Online Type

    By Anne Van Wagener (more by author)
    Design Editor / Adjunct Faculty

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    Bill Gates wants computer users, well, Microsoft users, to have a more enjoyable on-screen reading experience -- so much so that he made improving reading on the screen one of his top five priorities.

    Beginning in 2006, Microsoft says it will ship with its operating system and other software products six brand new typefaces created especially for extended on-screen reading.

    The new ClearType Font Collection incorporates improved ClearType and OpenType technologies, and a boatload of research, to improve the structure and the clarity of the letter forms. Basically, that means a story will be easier to read because the letters and words won't be as soft and mushy looking.

    The Microsoft collection includes two serif, three sans serif, and a monospaced face for use in programming environments. They are intended to be text typefaces as opposed to display faces that are used in larger sizes for headlines. Some of the new fonts are suitable for print as well as on-screen applications.

    If you're using a Mac, like me, you may have already figured out that these new fonts usually won't work on your machine. The fonts can be viewed on Macs only if the operator of a website has licensed them for embedding or if an individual user has licensed them for personal use. Although it's not likely that many sites -- or individuals -- will take such costly steps, I hope you'll keep reading.  These fonts are worth looking at regardless of platform -- and you never know when someone will take your baby away and replace it with a PC.

    First is Calibri.


    Calibri
    Note: All of the type images have been scanned from the "Now Read This" book.
    Calibri is a sans serif with soft rounded corners. It has a warm, friendly personality that isn't found in fonts like Arial and Helvetica. It is also the one typeface in the collection that is appropriate for use both in text sizes and larger headline sizes.

    In Microsoft's promotional booklet, "Now Read This," Calibri's designer Lucas de Groot says, "Its proportions allow high impact in tightly set lines of big and small type alike."

    He adds, "This font is suitable for documents, e-mail, Web design, and magazines."

    Calibri set in regular, bold, or italic is a pleasure to read. The rounded corners create a smooth reading experience. As de Groot says, "The family has a generous width that makes reading easier by emphasizing the reading direction."


    Cambria
    Cambria is one of the two serif typefaces in the collection. Designer Jelle Bosma describes the typeface as a "robust, all-purpose workhorse text face."

    This "sturdy" typeface was created to be used for business documents, e-mail, and Web design.

    I think the descriptions of this typeface as "sturdy," and "workhorse" are an accurate reflection of the personality of Cambria. Unlike the casual feel of Calibri, Cambria is formal and solid. These two characteristics make Cambria appropriate for business applications.


    Candara
    Candara is my least favorite of the six typefaces. One feature of this "informal sans serif" is a "slight flare" of the stems, or vertical strokes. The stroke is reminiscient of calligraphic forms, which I find to be less reader friendly. In addition, the unique curves of Candara create a distinct personality that has the feel of historic letterforms. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it might not be as flexible or versatile as the other typefaces in the collection.


    Consolas
    Consolas is a monospaced typeface, like Courier, that is used mostly in programming environments. The main characteristic of a monospaced face is that all the letters are the same width, as they were on old typewriters.

    Consolas is an important typeface because lengthy on-screen reading while programming can quickly tire the eyes. But I'll focus less on it because of its limited application.


    Constantia
    If Candara is my least favorite, then Constantina is my favorite. It's really a beautiful typeface that is very clean and readable. The italic isn't fussy and the numerals are strong and sophisticated.

    Constantia was designed with function and flexibility in mind. Created for use in print or on the screen, its versatility would enable a publication to use it for both print and Web operations. It creates a consistent look or brand in both mediums.

    Designer John Hudson says, "I would be thrilled to see Constantia being used for both the print and electronic media versions of a publication. Until recently, it has not been possible to use the same typefaces in print and electronic media without compromising either the readability or the attractiveness of one or the other."


    Corbel
    Designer Jeremy Tankard describes Corbel as "less cuddly, more assertive." This sans serif would be a nice alternative to Arial, Trebuchet or Verdana. It is very clean but has personality. A few of the characteristics that make it attractive are its geometric shape, and its contrasting gentle curves. I would describe Corbel's personality as crisp and refreshing.


    More and more content is being viewed on a screen. From computer monitors to PDAs and cell phones, reading comfort is a big issue. If type isn't easy to read then people won't visit sites or buy the devices. Despite the cross-platform issue, these six typefaces and the ClearType technology are an important advance in improving the clarity of type on the screen.

    Resources

    • In late Novemember 2004, Poynter brought together type designers to talk about the future of on-screen reading. To read about the conference click here. 
    • You can also check out some of Microsoft's readabilty reasearch in this article, "The Science of Word Recognition."

    CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article reported incorrectly that these new fonts could not be displayed on Macs. In fact, they can be -- but only if the operator of a website has licensed them for embedding or if an individual user has licensed them for personal use.


    More in this series:
    condara very very smooth, sometims chinese fonts like that is .......erm
    6/24/2005

    06.24

    ashore:在岸上,上岸

    aspect:面貌,外表,样子,(问题等的)方面

    aspire:渴望,追求

    assassinate:刺杀,暗杀

    assault:攻击,袭击

    assemble:集合,集会;装配,组装 v.

    assembly:集合,集会;装配,组装 n.

    assert:断言,宣称

    assess:估价,评价

    asset:资产,财产,

    assign:分配,委派,指定(时间,地点等)

    assignment:任务,课外作业,分配,委派

    assimilate:吸收,同化,消化

    assist:协助,帮助,援助 v.

    assistance:帮助,援助 n.

    assistant:助手,助教 a. 助理的,辅助的

    associate:使联系,联合; 结合,交往; 合作人,同事

    association:协会,团体,联合,联系,交往,联想

    assume:假定,承担,采取,假装,呈现

    assumption:坚定,设想,采取,承担

    6/23/2005

    06.23

    UNTI 3 Lesson 3

    amry:军队,陆军

    arouse:引起,激起,唤醒,唤起

    arrange:安排,筹备,整理,排列,布置 v.

    arrangement:安排,准备工作,整理,排列,布置 n.

    array:排列 n.v.

    arrest:逮捕,扣留

    arrival:到达

    arrogant:傲慢无礼的,骄傲自大的

    arrow:箭头

    art:艺术,美术

    artery:动脉,干道,要道

    article:文章,论文,条款,项目,物品,商品,冠词

    articulate:明确有力地表达,v.

                      善于表达的,口齿清晰的

    artificial:人工的,人造的

    artist:艺术家,美术家

    artisic:艺术家的,艺术的

    ascend:上升,攀登

    ascertain:确定,查明,弄清

    ash:灰

    ashamed:惭愧,害臊,羞耻

    6/21/2005

    06.21

    UNTI 3 Lesson 2

    approach:靠近,接近,临近 n. 方法,途径,探讨

    appropriate:适当的,恰如其分的

    approval:赞成,同意,认可,批准

    approve (of):v.赞成,同意,。。。。

    approximate:将近,大约的

    approximately:近似地,大约

    apt:恰当的,适宜的

    arbitrary:专断的,任意的

    arc:弧形

    arch:拱门

    architect:建筑师,设计师

    architecture:建筑学,建筑(风格,样式)

    arctic:北极圈,北极的

    area:面积,地区,区域,领域,范围

    argue:争论,辩论,论证,主张,说服

    argument:n. 争论,辩论,论点,论据

    arise:出现,发生  arise from 由…引起

    arithmetic:算术

    arm①:手臂,扶手,衣袖

    arm②:武器,军火 v. 装备,武装。

     finally , I finished all my work today , and now I can see a movie named  <Mr. and Mrs. Smith>~

    6/20/2005

    06.19

    UNTI 3 Lesson 1

    apart:撇开,分开,相距

    apartment:房间,套间

    apology:道歉,歉意,认错

    apparatus:器械,设备,仪器,装置

    apparent:表面的,貌似的,明显的,显而易见的

    appeal:呼吁,要求,申诉,上诉,对…有吸引力

    appear:出现,显露,路面,外观,外貌,外表 v.

    appearance:出现,显露,路面,外观,外貌,外表 n.

    appendix:附录,附属物,阑尾

    appetite:食欲,胃口,欲望,爱好

    applaud:鼓掌,喝彩,欢呼,称赞

    applause:鼓掌欢迎,欢呼

    appliance:器具,用具

    applicable:能用的,适用的

    application:请求,申请,应用

    apply:申请,适用,应用

    appoint:指定,约定,任命,选派

    appointment:约会,预约,任命

    appraisal:估计,估量

    appreciate:感谢,正确评价,欣赏,领会,充分意识到

    补06.17

    UNTI 2 Lesson 5

    anchor:锚

    ancient:古代的,古老的

    anecdote:逸事

    angel:天使

    agree:气愤,愤怒

    angle:角,角度,观点,方面

    anguish:极度痛苦,烦恼

    ankle:踝

    anniversary:周年

    announce:宣告,通告

    announcer:播音员,报幕员

    annoy:使恼怒,使生气

    annual:每年的,年度的

    anonymous:匿名的,无名的

    antenna:天线

    anticipate:预料,预期

    antique:古时的,古式的

    anxiety:焦急,忧虑,渴望,热望

    anxious:忧虑的,担心的,焦急的,渴望的

    appal:使惊骇,使丧胆

    6/16/2005

    06.16

    UNTI 2 Lesson 4

    amaze:使惊奇

    ambassdor:大使

    ambiguous:模棱两可的

    ambition:有雄心,有野心

    ambitious:有雄心的,有野心的

    ambulance:救护车

    amend:修改,修正

    ambiable:和蔼可亲的

    amid:在…之间,在…中

    amount:数量,总额

    ample:充分的,富裕的,宽敞的,宽大的

    amplifier:放大器,扩音机

    amplify:放大,增强

    amuse:逗…笑

    analog:类似物,模拟

    analogy:比拟,类比

    analysis: n.分析,分解

    analytical: adj.分析的,分解的

    analyze:v.分析,分解

    ancestor:祖先,祖宗

    6/15/2005

    06.15

     UNTI 2 Lesson 3

    alien:外国的,相异的  n.外侨,外星人

    alike:相同的,相向的

    alive:活跃的,热闹的,活着的

    allege:宣称,断言

    alleviate:减轻,缓解,缓和

    alliance:结盟,同盟,联盟,联姻

    allocate:分配,分派,

    allow:允许,让…得到;承认

    allowance:津贴,补助

    alloy:合金

    ally:同盟者,同盟国

    alone:单独的,独自的

    alongside:在…旁边,并肩

    alter:改变,变更

    alternate:交替的,轮流的

    alternative:可供选择的

    altitude:海拔,高度

    aluminum:铝

    amateur:业余活动爱好者

    6/14/2005

    06.14

    UNTI 2 Lesson 2

    aggressive:侵略的,好斗的;敢做敢为的,有进取心的

    aggitate:鼓动,煽动;搅拌

    agony:痛苦,苦恼

    agree:同意,赞成,一致

    agreeable:惬意的,易处的

    agreement:协定,协议;一致,同意

    agriculture:农业

    aid:帮助,援助

    aim:瞄准

    air:空气

    air-conditioning:空调设备,空调系统

    aircraft:飞行器,航空器

    airport:飞机场

    aisle:(教堂,戏院等)通道   ——access

    alarm:使惊恐,惊慌;警报

    album:相册

    alcohol:酒精

    alert:机灵的,警惕的

    6/13/2005

    06.13

    UNTI 2 Lesson 1

    advise:劝告,忠告;通知;建议

    advocate:鼓吹者,提倡者

    aerial:空中的,航空的; n.天线

    aeroplane:飞机

    aerospace:太空,宇宙空间

     

    esteem:尊重,尊敬

    aesthetic:美学的,艺术的,审美的

    affair:事情,事件,事务

    affect:影响,感动

    affection:慈爱,感情,影响

    affiliate:使隶属于  n.附属机构,分公司

    affirm:断言,肯定

    affluent:富裕的,富有的

    afford:有足够的时间(金钱)做某事

    against:倚着,靠近;逆,对着,反对;违反;对比

    agency:代理处,代办处

    agenda:议事日程

    agent:代理商,代表

    aggravate:加重,恶化,加剧             ————写作文时候的好词语                

    aggression:侵略

    适合我的背单词方法:

    想想小学生学一个新词语的时候,都干嘛了?

    OK~用词造句,哈哈~!

    6/6/2005

    06.06

    UNTI 1 Lesson 5

    adjust:调整,调节

    administrater:掌管,

    administration:经营,管理,政府

    admire:钦佩,赞赏,羡慕

    admission:允许进入,接纳

    admit:让…进入,接纳,承认

    adolescent:青少年

    adopt:采用,采纳

    adore:敬慕,崇拜

    adult:成人

    advance:前进,发展

    advanced:先进的,高级的

    advantage:优点,长处,有利条件

    advent:到来,到临

    advanture:冒险,惊险活动

    adverb:副词

    adverse:不利的,有害的

    advertise:做广告

    advice:劝告,忠告,建议

    advisable:适当的,可取的

    06.04

    UNTI 1 Lesson 4

    action:行动,行为;动作,活动

    activate:使活动,启动

    active:积极的,活跃的;主动的

    activity:活动,活性,活力

    actor:男演员

    actress:女演员

    actual:实际的,现实的

    acute:敏锐的,尖锐的

    ad:广告

    adapt:使 适应,适合,改写

    add:加,补充

    addict:有瘾的人

    addition:加,加法,附加

    additional:附加的,另外的,额外的

    address:地址

    adequate:充分的,足够的

    adhere:胶着,黏附,坚持

    adjacent:邻近的,毗邻的

    adjective:形容词

    adjoin:靠近,毗连

    6/1/2005

    05.31

    Unit 1 Lesson 3

    accordingly:照着,相应的,因此,从而

    account:帐户,叙述,说明

    accountant:会计师

    accumulate:积累,积蓄,堆积

    accuracy:准确,精准度 n.

    accurate:准确的,精准的

    accuse:控告,谴责

    accustomed:习惯的,惯常的

    ache:疼痛

    achieve:完成,达到,达成,获得

    achievement:成就,成绩,完成,达到 n.

    acid:酸的

    acknowledge:承认,致谢

    acquaint:使了解,使认识

    acquaintance:相识,熟人

    acquire:获得,取得,学到

    acquisition:获得 n.

    acre:英亩 n.

    acrobat:杂技演员

    act:行动,做事; ~on 起作用;表演

    accurate

    5/30/2005

    05.30

    accident:意外的事,偶然的事 n.

    accidental:意外的,偶然的 a.

    acclaim:欢呼,喝彩,称赞

    accommodate:留宿,收容 v.

    accommodation:住宿,留宿 n.

    accompany:陪同,伴随

    accomplish:完成。

    accord:符合,一致 v.

    accordance:符合,一致 n.

    according:符合的,一致的 a.

    5/29/2005

    05.28

    abuse:滥用,谩骂

    academic:学院的,学术的

    academy:学院

    accelerate:加速,促进

    acceleration:加速(度)

    accent:口音,腔调

    accept:接受,认可。。v.

    acceptance:接受,认可。。。n.

    access:通道,入口

    accessory:附件,配件。

    5/26/2005

    05.26

    abrupt:突然的,唐突的,鲁莽的

    absence:缺乏,缺席

    absent:缺乏的,漫不经心的

    absolute:绝对的,完全的

    absolutely:绝对地,完全地

    absorb:吸收,吸引

    abstract:抽取。。抽象的

    absurd:荒唐的

    abundance:丰富,充裕

    abundant:丰富地,充裕地

    5/24/2005

    05.24

    abandon:抛弃,放弃

    abodmen:(下)腹部

    abide:坚持,遵守

    ability:能力,才能

    able:有能力的

    abnormal:不可能的--(normal)

    aboard:在(车,船)上

    abolish:取消,废除

    abroad:在国外

    abound:大量存在,富有… …丰富