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Subject:Font choices From:geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA Date:Wed, 28 Jan 1998 10:35:37 -0600
To me, the most interesting thing about this debate is how
passionately some (most?) people seem to feel about
typography. While that's a good thing, the old truism about
choosing your words seems relevant here: typography also
seems to be one of those fields in which you're going to
offend someone no matter how carefully you choose your
typeface.
In defence of Times, it and its variants are probably still
the most commonly used typefaces in North America, and that
alone makes it a good choice: familiarity may breed
contempt, but it also adds comfort and facilitates reading.
(Ask Scandinavians and the French, many of who find sans
serif typefaces every bit as readable as we find serif
typefaces. That's based on my own limited sampling of these
communities; additional data welcome.) That being the case,
using Times is like showing up for an interview in a blue
blazer: people may think you're boring, but they won't
think you're out of place.
--Geoff Hart @8^{)} geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
Disclaimer: Speaking for myself, not FERIC.
