Thread: CSS / dropcaps
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Old 08-28-2012, 03:53 PM   #41
Hitch
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cybmole View Post
'nuff said really, but i site this link in defence of the "adds nothing to readability" argument
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2012...est-practices/
When reading text with a drop cap, we always “read” the letter, then the partial word, and then have to piece the two together...
The visual separation caused by using a drop cap interferes with word recognition for everyone. Drop caps are decorative elements. When we use them, we are setting a tone—often at the expense of readability.
No offense to whomever wrote that, but if someone's brain is so slow that they have to "piece together" a dropcap with the remaining text, maybe they need to use "See Spot Run" readers.

Worse, is that site KIDDING abotu "readability"? I find that whole webpage unreadable, due to the horrid distractions of the endless advertisements coupled with the greyed-out pseudo-Apple text (yes, THAT makes sense--let's ensure that no one can read the actual navigation bar, but don't let them miss the advertisements, god forbid!). I wouldn't stay on that site for 10 seconds, I find it SO annoying--and they're bitching about dropcaps?

I mean, honestly--will the dumbing-down of America never cease? The readers are so stupid that they can't read a DROPCAP with the remainder of the text?

And, lastly--she is expressly talking about using dropcaps ON THE WEB, not in books. To quote:

Quote:
Deciding to use drop caps on a website means making a conscious choice to use a primarily decorative element. Unlike initial caps in manuscripts and incunabula, a drop cap on the Web doesn’t add value in terms of usability or readability; its main purpose is to look good. And making a drop cap look good—whether in a manuscript, an incunabula, or on the Web—takes time (Figure 17). (Italic emphasis added)
So--this entire web article, on a barely-readable page, is about using dropcaps ON THE WEB, not in a book or a manuscript, in the first place--so it's not related to this dicussion in any event.

I'm sticking with my position--I want a book to be beautiful. I'm not going to be swayed by arguments about web design--utterly unrelated to manuscript design by her own words--on a website that is itself unreadable due to poor design.

Hitch
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