I am under the impression its not just size (if space was an issue for the
designer) but rather choice of font. The font used for the scrolling
headlines (Verdana) is much more legible at a smaller x height and size than
the body of text. This is due to the fact that the font chosen for the body
of text is thin and round (helvetica neue light also has a tight kern), and
generally this font style is not to be used at small sizes. Had the designer
chosen to use a heavier font with a high x-height and more space between
letters (or kerned it themselves), it would have been *more* legible at that
same size.
In chorus with what others said, enlarging the page is a quick fix, though,
it shouldn't be needed in the first place and especially not relied upon as
a backup for lazy designers
On Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 7:00 AM, Gunnar Swanson <[log in to unmask]>wrote:
> I might second Michael Gibson's concerns about the use of Flash and what I
> might call serious technological usability problems. However, if a complaint
> about font size is as deep as the commentary gets, I wonder even more how a
> man associated with http://www.nngroup.com/ or more loosely with
> http://www.useit.com/ is seriously advising -anyone- about web design is
> odd.
>
> Yeah, Don, the type is slightly small. I'm nearly your age and had no
> trouble reading it plus I could--with the magical press of a button--enlarge
> things. [Ain't technology great?] And despite my advanced age, I still have
> the cognitive facilities to realize that the site was aimed at someone
> slightly younger than I am. I taught at UC Davis for a year more than a
> dozen years ago so don't have a dog in any fight about their current website
> but I wonder what Don or others would hold up as an ideal for a site for a
> program like the one at Davis. The slightly less intensely boring than the
> sites listed above http://www.jnd.org/ perhaps?
>
> Seriously, this is the level of design criticism we get on this list?
> Gratuitous insults devoid of any questions about intent? Standards presumed
> but unspoken, letting people lost in the World Wide Web of 1997 whine
> because they don't make 'em like they used to?
>
>
> Gunnar
> ----------
> Gunnar Swanson Design Office
> 1901 East 6th Street
> Greenville NC 27858
> USA
>
> [log in to unmask]
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>
> http://www.gunnarswanson.com
>
--
*Stefanie Di Russo*
PhD Student
Faculty of Design
Swinburne University
*twitter:* @stefdirusso <https://twitter.com/#!/stefdirusso>
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*profile<http://www.linkedin.com/pub/stefanie-di-russo/35/16/a84>
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