[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.71,0:00:02.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Type is something we consume
Dialogue: 0,0:00:02.24,0:00:04.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in enormous quantities.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:04.16,0:00:05.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In much of the world,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:05.24,0:00:07.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's completely inescapable.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:07.11,0:00:10.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But few consumers are concerned to know
Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.13,0:00:12.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where a particular typeface came from
Dialogue: 0,0:00:12.46,0:00:15.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or when or who designed it,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:15.23,0:00:18.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if, indeed, there was any human agency involved
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.58,0:00:21.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in its creation, if it didn't just sort of materialize
Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.38,0:00:25.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,out of the software ether.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.09,0:00:28.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I do have to be concerned with those things.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.61,0:00:30.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's my job.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:30.13,0:00:32.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm one of the tiny handful of people
Dialogue: 0,0:00:32.34,0:00:34.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who gets badly bent out of shape
Dialogue: 0,0:00:34.45,0:00:37.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by the bad spacing of the T and the E
Dialogue: 0,0:00:37.05,0:00:38.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that you see there.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:38.95,0:00:40.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've got to take that slide off.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:40.39,0:00:42.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I can't stand it. Nor can Chris.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:42.46,0:00:44.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There. Good.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:44.12,0:00:45.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So my talk is about the connection
Dialogue: 0,0:00:45.89,0:00:49.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,between technology and design of type.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:49.29,0:00:51.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The technology has changed
Dialogue: 0,0:00:51.95,0:00:54.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a number of times since I started work:
Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.82,0:00:59.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,photo, digital, desktop, screen, web.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:59.49,0:01:01.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've had to survive those changes and try
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.22,0:01:03.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to understand their implications for what I do
Dialogue: 0,0:01:03.93,0:01:05.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for design.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:05.32,0:01:10.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This slide is about the effect of tools on form.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:10.49,0:01:13.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The two letters, the two K's,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:13.39,0:01:16.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the one on your left, my right, is modern,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:16.72,0:01:18.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,made on a computer.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:18.13,0:01:20.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All straight lines are dead straight.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:20.17,0:01:22.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The curves have that kind of\Nmathematical smoothness
Dialogue: 0,0:01:22.98,0:01:26.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the Bézier formula imposes.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:26.72,0:01:29.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On the right, ancient Gothic,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:29.22,0:01:33.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,cut in the resistant material of steel by hand.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.28,0:01:35.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,None of the straight lines are actually straight.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:35.40,0:01:37.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The curves are kind of subtle.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.57,0:01:42.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It has that spark of life from the human hand
Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.28,0:01:44.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the machine or the program
Dialogue: 0,0:01:44.20,0:01:46.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,can never capture.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:46.13,0:01:48.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What a contrast.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:48.11,0:01:50.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, I tell a lie.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:50.69,0:01:53.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A lie at TED. I'm really sorry.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:53.68,0:01:55.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Both of these were made on a computer,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:55.80,0:01:57.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,same software, same Bézier curves,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:57.72,0:01:59.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,same font format.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:59.42,0:02:01.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The one on your left
Dialogue: 0,0:02:01.95,0:02:04.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was made by Zuzana Licko at Emigre,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:04.20,0:02:05.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I did the other one.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:05.64,0:02:08.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The tool is the same, yet the letters are different.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.100,0:02:10.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The letters are different
Dialogue: 0,0:02:10.52,0:02:11.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because the designers are different.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:11.72,0:02:14.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's all. Zuzana wanted hers to look like that.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:14.98,0:02:18.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I wanted mine to look like that. End of story.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.11,0:02:20.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Type is very adaptable.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:20.31,0:02:23.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Unlike a fine art, such as sculpture or architecture,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:23.63,0:02:27.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,type hides its methods.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.03,0:02:29.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think of myself as an industrial designer.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.83,0:02:31.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The thing I design is manufactured,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:31.39,0:02:33.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it has a function:
Dialogue: 0,0:02:33.27,0:02:35.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be read, to convey meaning.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:35.11,0:02:36.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But there is a bit more to it than that.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.75,0:02:38.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's the sort of aesthetic element.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.60,0:02:41.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What makes these two letters different
Dialogue: 0,0:02:41.32,0:02:44.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from different interpretations by different designers?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:44.35,0:02:46.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What gives the work of some designers
Dialogue: 0,0:02:46.36,0:02:49.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sort of characteristic personal style,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:49.27,0:02:51.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as you might find in the work of a fashion designer,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:51.81,0:02:54.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,an automobile designer, whatever?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:54.88,0:02:56.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There have been some cases, I admit,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:56.66,0:02:57.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where I as a designer
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.81,0:03:00.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,did feel the influence of technology.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:00.90,0:03:03.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is from the mid-'60s,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:03.96,0:03:06.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the change from metal type to photo,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:06.19,0:03:07.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,hot to cold.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:07.90,0:03:09.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This brought some benefits
Dialogue: 0,0:03:09.09,0:03:12.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but also one particular drawback:
Dialogue: 0,0:03:12.44,0:03:15.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a spacing system that only provided
Dialogue: 0,0:03:15.11,0:03:19.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,18 discrete units for letters
Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.10,0:03:21.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be accommodated on.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:21.56,0:03:23.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was asked at this time to design
Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.53,0:03:26.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a series of condensed sans serif types
Dialogue: 0,0:03:26.27,0:03:29.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with as many different variants as possible
Dialogue: 0,0:03:29.44,0:03:33.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,within this 18-unit box.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:33.28,0:03:34.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Quickly looking at the arithmetic,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:34.92,0:03:38.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I realized I could only actually make three
Dialogue: 0,0:03:38.23,0:03:41.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of related design. Here you see them.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:41.62,0:03:44.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In Helvetica Compressed, Extra Compressed,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.21,0:03:48.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and Ultra Compressed, this rigid 18-unit system
Dialogue: 0,0:03:48.02,0:03:49.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,really boxed me in.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:49.59,0:03:51.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It kind of determined the proportions
Dialogue: 0,0:03:51.42,0:03:53.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the design.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:53.71,0:03:57.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here are the typefaces, at least the lower cases.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:57.74,0:04:00.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So do you look at these and say,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:00.44,0:04:03.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Poor Matthew, he had to submit to a problem,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:03.58,0:04:07.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and by God it shows in the results."
Dialogue: 0,0:04:07.38,0:04:08.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I hope not.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:08.69,0:04:10.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If I were doing this same job today,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.93,0:04:13.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,instead of having 18 spacing units,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.76,0:04:16.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I would have 1,000.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:16.84,0:04:19.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Clearly I could make more variants,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:19.29,0:04:23.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but would these three members\Nof the family be better?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.99,0:04:25.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's hard to say without actually doing it,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.84,0:04:27.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but they would not be better in the proportion
Dialogue: 0,0:04:27.55,0:04:30.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of 1,000 to 18, I can tell you that.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:30.64,0:04:32.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My instinct tells you that any improvement
Dialogue: 0,0:04:32.58,0:04:35.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,would be rather slight, because they were designed
Dialogue: 0,0:04:35.65,0:04:38.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as functions of the system they were designed to fit,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:38.57,0:04:40.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and as I said, type is very adaptable.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:40.98,0:04:43.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It does hide its methods.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:43.77,0:04:46.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All industrial designers work within constraints.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:46.45,0:04:48.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is not fine art.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.94,0:04:50.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The question is, does a constraint
Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.82,0:04:53.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,force a compromise?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:53.49,0:04:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,By accepting a constraint,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:55.00,0:04:57.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are you working to a lower standard?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:57.45,0:04:59.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I don't believe so, and I've always been encouraged
Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.41,0:05:01.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by something that Charles Eames said.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.54,0:05:03.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He said he was conscious of working
Dialogue: 0,0:05:03.08,0:05:04.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,within constraints,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:04.12,0:05:07.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but not of making compromises.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:07.34,0:05:09.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The distinction between a constraint
Dialogue: 0,0:05:09.90,0:05:12.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and a compromise is obviously very subtle,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:12.28,0:05:17.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it's very central to my attitude to work.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:17.95,0:05:20.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Remember this reading experience?
Dialogue: 0,0:05:20.84,0:05:22.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The phone book. I'll hold the slide
Dialogue: 0,0:05:22.27,0:05:26.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so you can enjoy the nostalgia.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.80,0:05:29.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is from the mid-'70s early trials
Dialogue: 0,0:05:29.55,0:05:32.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of Bell Centennial typeface I designed
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.18,0:05:33.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for the U.S. phone books,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:33.95,0:05:37.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it was my first experience of digital type,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:37.27,0:05:41.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and quite a baptism.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:41.44,0:05:43.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Designed for the phone books, as I said,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:43.04,0:05:46.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be printed at tiny size on newsprint
Dialogue: 0,0:05:46.41,0:05:48.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on very high-speed rotary presses
Dialogue: 0,0:05:48.72,0:05:51.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with ink that was kerosene and lampblack.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:51.48,0:05:55.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is not a hospitable environment
Dialogue: 0,0:05:55.32,0:05:58.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for a typographic designer.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:58.52,0:06:00.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So the challenge for me was to design type
Dialogue: 0,0:06:00.42,0:06:01.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that performed as well as possible
Dialogue: 0,0:06:01.92,0:06:06.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in these very adverse production conditions.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:06.66,0:06:09.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As I say, we were in the infancy of digital type.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:09.52,0:06:12.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I had to draw every character by hand
Dialogue: 0,0:06:12.34,0:06:14.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on quadrille graph paper --
Dialogue: 0,0:06:14.05,0:06:16.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there were four weights of Bell Centennial —
Dialogue: 0,0:06:16.01,0:06:19.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pixel by pixel, then encode\Nthem raster line by raster line
Dialogue: 0,0:06:19.36,0:06:20.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for the keyboard.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:20.34,0:06:24.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It took two years, but I learned a lot.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:24.76,0:06:26.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These letters look as though they've been chewed
Dialogue: 0,0:06:26.39,0:06:27.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by the dog or something or other,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:27.84,0:06:29.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but the missing pixels at the intersections
Dialogue: 0,0:06:29.78,0:06:31.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of strokes or in the crotches
Dialogue: 0,0:06:31.38,0:06:34.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are the result of my studying the effects
Dialogue: 0,0:06:34.56,0:06:37.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of ink spread on cheap paper
Dialogue: 0,0:06:37.50,0:06:41.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and reacting, revising the font accordingly.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:41.24,0:06:44.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These strange artifacts are designed to compensate
Dialogue: 0,0:06:44.49,0:06:47.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for the undesirable effects of scale
Dialogue: 0,0:06:47.24,0:06:49.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and production process.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:49.53,0:06:52.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At the outset, AT&T had wanted
Dialogue: 0,0:06:52.38,0:06:55.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to set the phone books in Helvetica,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:55.62,0:06:57.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but as my friend Erik Spiekermann said
Dialogue: 0,0:06:57.28,0:06:59.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the Helvetica movie, if you've seen that,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:59.78,0:07:01.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the letters in Helvetica were designed to be
Dialogue: 0,0:07:01.82,0:07:04.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as similar to one another as possible.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:04.56,0:07:07.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is not the recipe for legibility at small size.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:07.84,0:07:10.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It looks very elegant up on a slide.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:10.42,0:07:12.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I had to disambiguate these forms
Dialogue: 0,0:07:12.62,0:07:15.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the figures as much as possible in Bell Centennial
Dialogue: 0,0:07:15.62,0:07:17.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by sort of opening the shapes up, as you can see
Dialogue: 0,0:07:17.91,0:07:20.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the bottom part of that slide.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:20.82,0:07:23.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So now we're on to the mid-'80s,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:23.48,0:07:26.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the early days of digital outline fonts,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:26.04,0:07:28.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,vector technology.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:28.39,0:07:30.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There was an issue at that time
Dialogue: 0,0:07:30.43,0:07:32.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with the size of the fonts,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:32.29,0:07:35.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the amount of data that was required to find
Dialogue: 0,0:07:35.17,0:07:40.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and store a font in computer memory.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:40.14,0:07:41.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It limited the number of fonts you could get
Dialogue: 0,0:07:41.80,0:07:44.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on your typesetting system at any one time.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:44.79,0:07:48.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I did an analysis of the data,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:48.94,0:07:51.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and found that a typical serif face
Dialogue: 0,0:07:51.46,0:07:52.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you see on the left
Dialogue: 0,0:07:52.92,0:07:54.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,needed nearly twice as much data
Dialogue: 0,0:07:54.94,0:07:57.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as a sans serif in the middle
Dialogue: 0,0:07:57.47,0:07:59.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because of all the points required
Dialogue: 0,0:07:59.54,0:08:04.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to define the elegantly curved serif brackets.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:04.04,0:08:07.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The numbers at the bottom of the slide, by the way,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:07.48,0:08:09.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they represent the amount of data
Dialogue: 0,0:08:09.18,0:08:12.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,needed to store each of the fonts.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:12.98,0:08:15.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So the sans serif, in the middle,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:15.15,0:08:18.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sans the serifs, was much more economical,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:18.11,0:08:20.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,81 to 151.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:20.31,0:08:23.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Aha," I thought. "The engineers have a problem.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:23.97,0:08:26.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Designer to the rescue."
Dialogue: 0,0:08:26.20,0:08:28.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I made a serif type, you can see it on the right,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:28.55,0:08:30.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,without curved serifs.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:30.50,0:08:32.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I made them polygonal, out\Nof straight line segments,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:32.92,0:08:34.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,chamfered brackets.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:34.90,0:08:39.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And look, as economical in data as a sans serif.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:39.27,0:08:41.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We call it Charter, on the right.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:41.56,0:08:43.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I went to the head of engineering
Dialogue: 0,0:08:43.54,0:08:45.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with my numbers, and I said proudly,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:45.99,0:08:48.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"I have solved your problem."
Dialogue: 0,0:08:48.12,0:08:51.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Oh," he said. "What problem?"
Dialogue: 0,0:08:51.83,0:08:53.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I said, "Well, you know, the problem
Dialogue: 0,0:08:53.48,0:08:56.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the huge data you require\Nfor serif fonts and so on."
Dialogue: 0,0:08:56.90,0:09:00.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Oh," he said. "We solved that problem last week.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:00.44,0:09:02.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We wrote a compaction routine that reduces
Dialogue: 0,0:09:02.60,0:09:05.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the size of all fonts by an order of magnitude.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:05.18,0:09:07.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You can have as many fonts on your system
Dialogue: 0,0:09:07.17,0:09:08.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as you like."
Dialogue: 0,0:09:08.73,0:09:11.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Well, thank you for letting me know," I said.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:11.34,0:09:12.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Foiled again.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:12.97,0:09:15.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was left with a design solution
Dialogue: 0,0:09:15.02,0:09:19.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for a nonexistent technical problem.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:19.49,0:09:21.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But here is where the story sort\Nof gets interesting for me.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:21.96,0:09:24.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I didn't just throw my design away
Dialogue: 0,0:09:24.55,0:09:25.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in a fit of pique.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:25.95,0:09:27.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I persevered.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:27.69,0:09:29.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What had started as a technical exercise
Dialogue: 0,0:09:29.86,0:09:33.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,became an aesthetic exercise, really.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:33.12,0:09:36.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In other words, I had come to like this typeface.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:36.17,0:09:38.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Forget its origins. Screw that.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:38.49,0:09:40.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I liked the design for its own sake.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:40.98,0:09:43.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The simplified forms of Charter
Dialogue: 0,0:09:43.36,0:09:45.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,gave it a sort of plain-spoken quality
Dialogue: 0,0:09:45.45,0:09:46.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and unfussy spareness
Dialogue: 0,0:09:46.100,0:09:49.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that sort of pleased me.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:49.49,0:09:52.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You know, at times of technical innovation,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:52.04,0:09:53.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,designers want to be influenced
Dialogue: 0,0:09:53.56,0:09:55.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by what's in the air.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:55.30,0:09:57.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We want to respond. We want to be pushed
Dialogue: 0,0:09:57.53,0:10:00.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,into exploring something new.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:00.94,0:10:03.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So Charter is a sort of parable for me, really.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:03.84,0:10:07.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the end, there was no hard and fast causal link
Dialogue: 0,0:10:07.63,0:10:10.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,between the technology and the design of Charter.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:10.82,0:10:14.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I had really misunderstood the technology.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:14.58,0:10:17.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The technology did suggest something to me,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:17.91,0:10:20.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it did not force my hand,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:20.03,0:10:22.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I think this happens very often.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:22.74,0:10:25.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You know, engineers are very smart,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:25.37,0:10:26.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and despite occasional frustrations
Dialogue: 0,0:10:26.93,0:10:28.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because I'm less smart,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:28.45,0:10:30.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've always enjoyed working with them
Dialogue: 0,0:10:30.18,0:10:32.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and learning from them.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:32.26,0:10:34.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Apropos, in the mid-'90s,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:34.60,0:10:37.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I started talking to Microsoft
Dialogue: 0,0:10:37.29,0:10:39.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about screen fonts.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:39.68,0:10:42.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Up to that point, all the fonts on screen
Dialogue: 0,0:10:42.10,0:10:44.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,had been adapted from previously existing
Dialogue: 0,0:10:44.85,0:10:47.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,printing fonts, of course.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:47.23,0:10:49.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But Microsoft foresaw correctly
Dialogue: 0,0:10:49.73,0:10:51.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the movement, the stampede
Dialogue: 0,0:10:51.88,0:10:54.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,towards electronic communication,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:54.67,0:10:56.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to reading and writing onscreen
Dialogue: 0,0:10:56.70,0:10:59.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with the printed output as being sort of secondary
Dialogue: 0,0:10:59.83,0:11:02.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in importance.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:02.06,0:11:05.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So the priorities were just tipping at that point.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:05.64,0:11:07.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They wanted a small core set of fonts
Dialogue: 0,0:11:07.83,0:11:11.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that were not adapted but designed for the screen
Dialogue: 0,0:11:11.13,0:11:13.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to face up to the problems of screen,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:13.71,0:11:17.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which were their coarse resolution displays.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:17.55,0:11:21.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I said to Microsoft, a typeface designed
Dialogue: 0,0:11:21.08,0:11:22.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for a particular technology
Dialogue: 0,0:11:22.65,0:11:26.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is a self-obsoleting typeface.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:26.02,0:11:28.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've designed too many faces in the past
Dialogue: 0,0:11:28.12,0:11:31.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that were intended to mitigate technical problems.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:31.70,0:11:34.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thanks to the engineers, the\Ntechnical problems went away.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:34.53,0:11:37.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So did my typeface.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:37.02,0:11:40.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was only a stopgap.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:40.15,0:11:41.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Microsoft came back to say that
Dialogue: 0,0:11:41.69,0:11:43.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,affordable computer monitors
Dialogue: 0,0:11:43.32,0:11:44.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with better resolutions
Dialogue: 0,0:11:44.52,0:11:47.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were at least a decade away.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:47.12,0:11:49.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I thought, well, a decade, that's not bad,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:49.77,0:11:52.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that's more than a stopgap.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:52.18,0:11:54.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I was persuaded, I was convinced,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:54.18,0:11:56.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we went to work on what became Verdana
Dialogue: 0,0:11:56.50,0:11:58.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and Georgia,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:58.18,0:12:00.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for the first time working not on paper
Dialogue: 0,0:12:00.52,0:12:04.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but directly onto the screen from the pixel up.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:04.48,0:12:08.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At that time, screens were binary.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:08.33,0:12:11.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The pixel was either on or it was off.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:11.37,0:12:14.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here you see the outline of a letter,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:14.22,0:12:15.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the cap H,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:15.69,0:12:18.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is the thin black line, the contour,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:18.49,0:12:21.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is how it is stored in memory,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:21.37,0:12:23.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,superimposed on the bitmap,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:23.04,0:12:25.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is the grey area,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:25.19,0:12:27.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is how it's displayed on the screen.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:27.02,0:12:30.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The bitmap is rasterized from the outline.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:30.17,0:12:32.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here in a cap H, which is all straight lines,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:32.41,0:12:34.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the two are in almost perfect sync
Dialogue: 0,0:12:34.50,0:12:38.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on the Cartesian grid.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:38.87,0:12:41.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Not so with an O.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:41.99,0:12:44.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This looks more like bricklaying\Nthan type design,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:44.72,0:12:47.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but believe me, this is a good bitmap O,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:47.62,0:12:49.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for the simple reason that it's symmetrical
Dialogue: 0,0:12:49.64,0:12:52.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in both x and y axes.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:52.12,0:12:54.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In a binary bitmap, you actually can't ask
Dialogue: 0,0:12:54.97,0:12:56.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for more than that.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:56.69,0:12:59.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I would sometimes make, I don't know,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:59.10,0:13:01.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,three or four different versions of a difficult letter
Dialogue: 0,0:13:01.45,0:13:02.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like a lowercase A,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:02.96,0:13:06.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then stand back to choose which was the best.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:06.50,0:13:08.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, there was no best,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:08.60,0:13:11.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so the designer's judgment comes in
Dialogue: 0,0:13:11.02,0:13:12.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in trying to decide
Dialogue: 0,0:13:12.41,0:13:15.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is the least bad.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:15.45,0:13:17.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Is that a compromise?
Dialogue: 0,0:13:17.90,0:13:19.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Not to me, if you are working
Dialogue: 0,0:13:19.45,0:13:22.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the highest standard the technology will allow,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:22.53,0:13:24.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,although that standard may be
Dialogue: 0,0:13:24.74,0:13:27.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,well short of the ideal.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:27.22,0:13:28.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You may be able to see on this slide
Dialogue: 0,0:13:28.81,0:13:30.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,two different bitmap fonts there.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:30.97,0:13:32.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The "a" in the upper one, I think,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:32.67,0:13:34.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is better than the "a" in the lower one,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:34.58,0:13:37.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it still ain't great.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:37.16,0:13:39.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You can maybe see the effect better
Dialogue: 0,0:13:39.07,0:13:42.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if it's reduced. Well, maybe not.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:42.44,0:13:44.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I'm a pragmatist, not an idealist,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:44.84,0:13:46.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,out of necessity.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:46.34,0:13:48.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For a certain kind of temperament,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:48.27,0:13:49.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there is a certain kind of satisfaction
Dialogue: 0,0:13:49.97,0:13:53.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in doing something that cannot be perfect
Dialogue: 0,0:13:53.61,0:13:57.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but can still be done to the best of your ability.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:57.48,0:14:02.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here's the lowercase H from Georgia Italic.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:02.33,0:14:04.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The bitmap looks jagged and rough.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:04.61,0:14:06.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is jagged and rough.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:06.47,0:14:08.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I discovered, by experiment,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:08.46,0:14:11.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that there is an optimum slant
Dialogue: 0,0:14:11.68,0:14:13.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for an italic on a screen
Dialogue: 0,0:14:13.62,0:14:15.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so the strokes break well
Dialogue: 0,0:14:15.96,0:14:18.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the pixel boundaries.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:18.44,0:14:21.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Look in this example how, rough as it is,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:21.22,0:14:23.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how the left and right legs
Dialogue: 0,0:14:23.27,0:14:25.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,actually break at the same level.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:25.22,0:14:28.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's a victory. That's good, right there.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:28.74,0:14:31.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And of course, at the lower depths,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:31.92,0:14:33.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you don't get much choice.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:33.84,0:14:38.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is an S, in case you were wondering.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:38.89,0:14:41.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, it's been 18 years now
Dialogue: 0,0:14:41.04,0:14:43.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,since Verdana and Georgia were released.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:43.69,0:14:45.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Microsoft were absolutely right,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:45.78,0:14:48.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it took a good 10 years,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:48.19,0:14:50.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but screen displays now do have
Dialogue: 0,0:14:50.47,0:14:52.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,improved spatial resolution,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:52.93,0:14:56.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and very much improved photometric resolution
Dialogue: 0,0:14:56.40,0:14:59.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,thanks to anti-aliasing and so on.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:59.55,0:15:03.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So now that their mission is accomplished,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:03.25,0:15:04.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has that meant the demise
Dialogue: 0,0:15:04.98,0:15:06.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the screen fonts that I designed
Dialogue: 0,0:15:06.86,0:15:09.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for coarser displays back then?
Dialogue: 0,0:15:09.51,0:15:12.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Will they outlive the now-obsolete screens
Dialogue: 0,0:15:12.91,0:15:15.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the flood of new web fonts
Dialogue: 0,0:15:15.08,0:15:16.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,coming on to the market?
Dialogue: 0,0:15:16.58,0:15:18.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Or have they established their own
Dialogue: 0,0:15:18.44,0:15:20.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sort of evolutionary niche
Dialogue: 0,0:15:20.68,0:15:24.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that is independent of technology?
Dialogue: 0,0:15:24.42,0:15:26.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In other words, have they been absorbed
Dialogue: 0,0:15:26.09,0:15:29.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,into the typographic mainstream?
Dialogue: 0,0:15:29.40,0:15:33.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm not sure, but they've had a good run so far.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:33.06,0:15:35.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Hey, 18 is a good age for anything
Dialogue: 0,0:15:35.55,0:15:37.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with present-day rates of attrition,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:37.70,0:15:39.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so I'm not complaining.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:39.62,0:15:42.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:42.46,0:15:44.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)