Posted by Bergamot on 11/14/06 13:09

K A Nuttall wrote:
>
> I work with graphic designers who regularly produce layouts with
> some 11 and 12px fonts. It's what many people want.

You mean it's what the graphic designers want. Remind them of the
differences between web and print media, please.

> Using a default size of 'medium' works on the assumption that most
> people are using the default of a medium=16px typeface. Setting the
> page container to 62.15% reduces that to 10px.

Hmmm... My browser lets me set a minimum font size, which is currently
set at 17px.

> Then individual sections
> can be sized-up again easily to match a designer's font specifications.

So what will happen with a user's font size that is 70% larger than you
expect?

> This is just one way to do it. But it's a way that's easy to work with
> pre-determined font-sizes, in a graphic design.

There are no pre-determined font-sizes, unless you put the text in graphics.

> The next thing to do is to design your pages assuming that users CAN
> and WILL resize their default font size. This means allowing for fluid
> box heights and wrapping text, and testing for it.

This seems to conflict with your earlier statement about sizing
individual sections to match a font specification. What did you really
mean by that?

> That's my rationale at the moment, and I'm happy with it.

But it's not about you, or the graphic designer. It's about the people
that are going to visit the site. What research have you done that
convinces you your rationale is just? Taking the word of another graphic
designer is delusional at best, since they tend to promote what *they*
want, not real users.

--
Berg

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