I believe that points like these are crucial when creating a website. In our last set of readings we discussed how elements of universal design and fonts are an easy way begin down that path.

In our own Service Learning Project, one of the areas we believe that we can help our client is by implementing an easier to read font. Currently the letters are very thin and to some, could be hard to read. But like this article discusses, just by doing something as simple as emboldening the typeface/font can improve the ability of those who might be visually challenged to read and comprehend the material on the website.

Another great point about type faces and fonts is that they make content easier to read across multiple types of devices such as smart phones, laptops and desktop computers. We should all as technical writers and future content managers be cognizant of how our content appears on different platforms.

This is something that I believe is very important when thinking about content strategy and also user experience as well. By displaying different typefaces and fonts in different ways, we as technical writers are able to choose where our readers place their eyes. By using multiple font sizes and thicknesses we are able to create a hierarchy within our content and writing.

By thinking in this way we are able to create content that is easy to navigate. Using size and boldness can inform the reader what the important parts of the content are. This is also great for segmenting content by informing the reader what each section may be about so they know if they should keep reading or skip to the parts that they find more interesting or important.

Also, just like the quote above states, these decorative effects should be used sparingly so that their importance is not deluded. If every word is bold, then that effect is meaningless and the article is not easier to read and digest. We as content creators should always be looking for ways that our content can be more easily read and understood.

I believe this is very important to consider when thinking about how we wish to display our content. In this passage Klienman discusses how our fonts and typefaces are similar to the clothes we wish to wear and I believe that this is true.

This reminds me of something I've learned/overheard many times from my wife: don't use Comic Sans. Anytime someone uses Comic Sans, the author will lose credibility. Unless writing an actual comic book, the font is useless. In my humble opinion.

I believe that when working in the professional world, especially when that work uses design in anyway, the technical writer needs to understand how the content they are creating looks. If that content looks unprofessional, that content will lose credibility. So by having a firm grasp on fonts and typefaces we are working towards implementing better design, more effective content and a brighter future.

This seems like a simple thing to do, but planning what exactly we want our content to achieve is a great idea. This includes of course, planning what we are going to write, but also what that writing is going to look like. We can plan around images and page sizes, but we also need to plan on how the user reads our content.

For example, if we are writing for a new part of the AARP website, we should probably choose a font that is thicker and stands out for those who may have trouble seeing. If we look back at our previous reading this is also a tenet of Universal Design. If we're going to be thinking about audience and how we can reach as many people as possible, fonts and type faces have to be a part of that discussion. How we emphasize certain words and sentences with fonts and spacing can determine how easy a user can skim through the content we create.

But, back to the beginning, planning. Fonts can seem like something to think about last, but the crux of this reading so far, to me, is that this should be a part of the design process from the beginning since it can inform the reader so much about not only the content, but the author as well.

This quote points out what I hope should be obvious to us now: we must consider who our audience is before we start creating our content.

If we are going to be competent writers in any realm, our audience needs to guide how and what we write, regardless of the platform. In my own project with The Center For Civic Innovation, we initially focused on a younger audience since their over all vibe, branding, and (seemingly) tech focus seemed to trend that way. But during our pitch presentation and the feedback after, our client informed us that they did indeed want to be more inclusive to more than just the young, but older patrons as well as anyone who had a civic minded venture and needed a work space. Moving forward this has informed some the design choices we have made, which interestingly enough was choosing fonts and type faces that are easy to view for anyone who may happen upon the CCI website.

I believe this passage is important for us as technical writers because we can choose what our words look like. We have the option to choose a font or typeface that flows with the overall design which can prevent it from ending up distracting.

In writing for the web, succinct writing is king (or queen). Users want to read quickly, get to the meat of the article, skim it and then leave. By using the right fonts we are able to catagorize our content so that it is easy to skim and the reader can obtain the information they came for as quickly as possible. This also helps as the screens people will be experiencing the content on will vary in size. While some may be using a phone, others may be using an I-pad or Kindle Fire. I believe both sets of readers will be subconsciously looking for cues that will allow them to skip ahead without feeling like they have missed anything. An easy step in that process is to use fonts effectively.

As the quote mentions, font size can vary by purpose. This is specifically true in my service learning project. One of the deliverables we are charged with creating is a more streamlined newsletter. The current newsletter is too long and because of that length, users are not reading the entire newsletter and missing out on pertinent information that is cultivated just for them.

One area in which we could help is the size of the lettering and spacing throughout the newsletter. While this may not fix the entire problem of the newsletter length, by choosing a small font size we would inevitably condense the newsletter. This approach could also be brought to bear on the images of the letter. By condensing these as well, the over all length of the newsletter is shortened without removing or redesigning any content.

Thinking about the size of the font also helps as Kliever mentions when considering how the content will be viewed on other devices. Large print on a small screen could be disorienting, but print that is too small would also be unreadable. This brings us back to a point we've discussed in class which is product testing. The best way to learn if one of these fonts works is by testing it ourselves on as many devices as we can.

This is another passage this semester that blew my mind a little bit. I think many of us have been reading, typing or writing and noticed that our 1's, L's and I's look somewhat similar if not totally identical.

If we are going to be using fonts and typefaces as way to maintain a cohesive design and improve the overall effectiveness of the content, then this test should be tool we all keep in our back pockets. The last thing we want as a content managers is for our content to be confusing. If we look back to elements of universal design, there may be a person who is new to the English language and the similarity of the 1's, L's, and I's may be enough to make the piece to complicated to read or fully understand.

Even if the reader does have a firm grasp of the language, as the article has explained, by making the fonts easier to understand the reader can access the information they need quicker and thus the content is more useful. This is what we as technical writers need to be attempting in our layouts and design.

I found this to be important in that this can help us maintain a cohesive design throughout our content without going crazy picking different fonts.

By picking two or three we can create a hierarchy that is cohesive throughout whatever it is that we are creating. One font for headlines, one for moments of emphasis and one for body copy could easily guide a reader through our immaculate writing so they are able to quickly pick up what we are putting down and not feel as though they have missed anything. While a reader will inevitably miss something by not reading all of our magnificent and colorful prose, they will understand the main points if we the writers allow our chosen fonts to do their jobs. As the article mentions, "Your chosen fonts will need to be different enough so that they create a clear visual hierarchy..."

So we don't need to go crazy, but we do need to be thoughtful and strategic when picking our fonts.

The above quote does a great job illustrating how important a font can be to the overall design of a website or any type of content for that matter.

This seems easy and simple, but I could imagine, also over looked: the font should match the design. To borrow an example, if you are writing for a website that is modeled after the New York Times, there is no reason to use Comic Sans as the font. The author as well as the publication will lose credibility. This disconnect will create confusion.