Articles in Design

Every now and then designers and/or developers run into the problem of designing a website or application that includes non-web fonts because not all fonts are installed on all end-user computers or other devices. Therefore, one often settles for one of the 11 less-appealing core web-fonts, which include Andale Mono, Arial, Arial Black, Comic Sans MS, Courier New, Georgia, Impact, Times New Roman,Trebuchet MS, Verdana, and Webdings. These are the standard fonts used by all devices. It’s been the only way to ensure that all website visitors will see exactly what the designer intended. The only alternative is to render your type as graphics, which is impractical. What follows are some solutions for using the exact font your design requires, or at least a font reasonably close.

At PRI, all of our web, mobile, and app projects start with a fundamental process called wireframing. It’s an important step that sets us on a path to a successful finished piece. But what does it mean, exactly? And why bother?

You love your new website. Really, really love it. You love it so much you want to base a targeted mailing piece on the graphic design. Or you want to create a leave-behind when making a sales call, and you need a sales sheet or brochure that reinforces your branding. With each, you want to create a specific message in print, and draw people back to your site.

Anyone who calls themselves a designer (or strives to be one) should know the basics of typography. Even if you’re not a designer, you may be asked to proof a letter, review a brochure, or make a design decision. Take your work to the next level by using  “smart” quotes—that is, quotation marks and apostrophes that are curly and point in the correct direction.

There’s color on your screen, color in your professionally printed brochure, color that comes from your desktop color printer. The problem is, the red you see on your screen almost never matches the red you print out of your printer, and the red you print out of your printer almost never matches the job once you get it professionally printed.