Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!abvax!iccgcc!herrickd From: herrickd@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com Newsgroups: comp.misc Subject: Re: Coding in lowercase - references? Message-ID: <2071.2747de54@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com> Date: 19 Nov 90 18:29:56 GMT References: <20517.273e9e6b@merrimack.edu> <0093FC00.24D7FA00@BINAH.CC.BRANDEIS.EDU> <1990Nov17.013754.10134@ico.isc.com> <61679@unix.cis.pitt.edu> <2070.2747dd14@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com> Lines: 79 In article <2070.2747dd14@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com>, herrickd@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com writes: > In article <61679@unix.cis.pitt.edu>, dtate@unix.cis.pitt.edu (David M Tate) writes: >> In article <1990Nov17.013754.10134@ico.isc.com> rcd@ico.isc.com (Dick Dunn) writes: >>>parks@BINAH.CC.BRANDEIS.EDU writes: >>>> The way I remember the story, IBM did a study on the comparative >>>> readabilities of upper- and lower-case text. It was found that lower- >>>> case text was the more readable,... >>> >>>AArrgghhh!!! Why do the legends always have it that IBM invented/discover- >>>ed/studied everything??? >>> >>>It's long-established knowledge in typography that lower case is more >>>readable...it probably far predates IBM's very existence. > > I believe that what is known is that MIXED case, where the mixing is > done according to the traditional rules, is what is most readable. (Just > got caught by that comparative/superlative thing, oh well, leave it.) >> >> Exactly. Thanks Dick. I should have inserted my paragraph after this thanks addressed to someone else. >> >> As a matter of fact, this arcane knowledge predates the invention of moveable >> type. What we call "lower case" letters are the calligraphic descendents of >> the old Roman capitals you see on government buildings. In the centuries- >> long battle between legibility and space efficiency, legibility finally won >> when paper became cheap, and the *most legible* standard hands (humanist >> bookhand and Italic) were used as the models for most European type designs. >> (The big exception was Germany, where the illegible Fraktur script was used). >> >> What we call upper-case letters are the descendants of versal initials, adapted >> to conform to the style of a particular lower-case hand (*not* the other way >> around). It would have been unthinkable, in the 15th century, to set text in >> all upper-case letters for more than one or two words. > > But, in the 15th century, everyone who was setting type knew something > about setting type. It is amusing (or maybe, I should say, a great > opportunity) to look at Computer Shopper (other rags have ads made > by the same "art" students) and see the amount of money people waste > on making it harder to read their ads. > > 1) Mixed case is MUCH easier to read. Let's set the most important > part of our ad in all caps. > > 2) Serif typefaces are much easier to read than sans serif typefaces. > (Notice all the little tails on the letters in any newspaper, or > in any magazine that wants people to read the articles.) So we > set our ad in a sans serif typeface (Helvetica is a favorite name). > Serif typefaces are too ordinary (everybody uses them) and don't > win art awards. > > 3) Black (or, marginally, dark) type on a low glare white background > is much easier to read. There is always at least one ad set in > white on black. Even worse is the advertiser who takes a color > picture of his product with lots of detail and prints his ad in > white type on top of the picture - it's called reducing the signal > to noise ration. ^^^^^^ OOPS! Try "signal to noise ratio". > > The person who designs the layout for most of the editorial material > in a magazine wants people to read it and has a modicum of knowledge > of what has been learned in the last four thousand years about > readable typography (Analog keeps violating this on one or two first > page of a story in each issue.). Ads seem to be designed by people > who don't care whether anyone reads them. >> >> -- >> David M. Tate | Concord and time, each needeth each: >> dtate@unix.cis.pitt.edu | The ripest fruit hangs where not one >> "A Man for all Seasonings" | But only two can reach. >> scapegoat-at-large | --William Plomer, "Gloriana" > > dan herrick > dlh Performance Marketing > POBox 1419 > Mentor, Ohio 44061 > (216)974-9637 > herrickd@astro.pc.ab.com