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Intelligent Design
Pre-Morgan Brice Marden
An article published by The Chronicle of Higher Education discusses online ‘literacy traits,’ put simply, the lack of reading online. Myspace and facebook have turned the human race into a thumbnail. Of course, those of us here are in the old fashioned business of words—being writers, editors, and avid readers.
I will admit, I need to be somewhat invested in the prospects of reading a piece over 1500 words to print it out and read. My onscreen limit is usually under 1500 words. I’m occasionally frustrated when I can’t print out a story due to the web-file’s printer constraints. This got me thinking about various aesthetics of online journals—how editors/designers deal with not just internet’s short attention space, but the visual encounter with text, as the latter effects reader’s tolerance.
Seeing white words on a black background induces dizzy spells. It’s like looking into a congested night full of large ass stars. I much prefer when the words are deeper in tone on the gray scale with a black background. The classic black words on white is somehow the logical default to mimic the printed page, though I find black words on muted backgrounds (Hobart, Pindeldyboz, Juked) a little easier on the eye.
Margins are also a big deal-breaker for me. When there are no margins, and each paragraph stretches across the screen, it looks like some diaspora of abandoned words. In the end, you need to either mimic the printed page, or invent an aesthetic conducive to the screen.
This brings me to Bear Parade from our own Gene Morgan, and as of late, Lamination Colony by our own Blake Butler.
Bear Parade’s design IS the internet. It doesn’t need to mimic the printed page—in fact, it exploits the very qualities only possible on screen. Most of the stories in Bear Parade employ a ‘triad of tone’: 1) background color, 2) text color, and 3) rollover link color. The last one (3) seems almost incidental, but it’s a little blessing each time I rollover. It completely seals the context of the other two tones. Morgan is a rare colorist and designer; his choices are humble, sophisticated, and—perhaps most importantly—embody the tone of the story itself. In Small Pale Humans, readers might (just might) discover the faintest silhouette of a cactus, as if seen under the dimmest moon. Morgan tells a story with mere tone. He puts the zing in amazing.
Lamination Colony’s concerns are not so much about color (though the template light purplish page is deft) but self-conscious placement of text and imagery. The Woman Down the Hall is one of the most beautiful artifacts online. Each transition (the closest word I can summon to describe a ‘chapter’ in e-book scale) is an epiphany. Butler introduces a cinemagraphic element to journal design: fragmented and uncanny visual narratives—an intuitive evolution, given his self-professed Lynchian tendencies. My favorite transition is when an old woman’s face is followed by an extreme close up of the face. Butler draws the reader in closer, deeper. In another part, a small sentence is wrapped around like an egg, positioned perfectly on top an ominous source of light. Text also wraps around teeth. The guy is mad.
Some of you may accuse me of ingratiating myself to the editor and designer of this website. To that I say: I would say such things even on a desert island, holding a coconut, and looking for a bowling alley.
Tags: Bear Parade, blake butler, Gene Morgan, Lamination Colony, literacy, web design
thanks jimmy, you are the bread and butter of all
new lamination colony does some new design thingies for me, i think, i am excited for you and all to see, hopefully tonight!
thanks jimmy, you are the bread and butter of all
new lamination colony does some new design thingies for me, i think, i am excited for you and all to see, hopefully tonight!
small pale humans i could read every day and not get bored
small pale humans i could read every day and not get bored
Thanks, Jimmy.
Blake and I have decided to give you a 300% raise.
Thanks, Jimmy.
Blake and I have decided to give you a 300% raise.
pre morgan era / post morgan era
dad
pre morgan era / post morgan era
dad
Wait! Does this mean I shouldn’t put the scrolling and flashing title on my page that I’d been planning. Whew! Thank you Jimmy Chen for saving me.
Wait! Does this mean I shouldn’t put the scrolling and flashing title on my page that I’d been planning. Whew! Thank you Jimmy Chen for saving me.
thanks dad, can i get the keys to the car?
thanks dad, can i get the keys to the car?
The Cavalier is all filled up.
I read the article, but it was hard.
Too many options, both visually and with hyperlinks, lead to decreased focus and a lower completion rate. It’s too easy for people to get distracted online. This is why reading sucks on the computer.
It was hard for me to finish that article for the following reasons:
1) The spacing. The text is too close together, and looks like a jumbled-up mess.
2) The giant lists of links everywhere, in different text boxes. I feel like I need to go somewhere else, and fast.
3) The color. Black text on white is great in print. On the computer, it’s a giant lightbulb in your face.
4) The red bar down the side. Dad is spitting his nightcap all over the screen.
The internet’s problem isn’t that kids are big idiots, it’s that people treat what they post on the internet like shit, and don’t format it properly.
Fuck that.
The Cavalier is all filled up.
I read the article, but it was hard.
Too many options, both visually and with hyperlinks, lead to decreased focus and a lower completion rate. It’s too easy for people to get distracted online. This is why reading sucks on the computer.
It was hard for me to finish that article for the following reasons:
1) The spacing. The text is too close together, and looks like a jumbled-up mess.
2) The giant lists of links everywhere, in different text boxes. I feel like I need to go somewhere else, and fast.
3) The color. Black text on white is great in print. On the computer, it’s a giant lightbulb in your face.
4) The red bar down the side. Dad is spitting his nightcap all over the screen.
The internet’s problem isn’t that kids are big idiots, it’s that people treat what they post on the internet like shit, and don’t format it properly.
Fuck that.
I went-off all dad like.
I wish someone would help me make the Moby Dick video game I’ve been wanting to make.
I went-off all dad like.
I wish someone would help me make the Moby Dick video game I’ve been wanting to make.
dad is a preacher, preaching the good word
dad is a preacher, preaching the good word
I guess I don’t have a problem with black on white. As what’s on this very comment box I’m writing in. Part of it might be that I grew up, literally, reading text on a computer screen, and so my eyes are no doubt irrevocably damaged in a way that allows me to handle all that harsh pallor.
I agree with the cited examples of good design, and I agree that the Higher Education article is sloppy for the reasons mentioned, but I don’t see black-on-white as an dealbreaker, and I would argue–maybe wobbily–that there are lots of kids like me whose eyes are fucked enough to handle B&W.
The Higher Education article also misuses Times New Roman, I think. It hasn’t been mentioned here yet, but I think the difference between serif and sans serif fonts are really important. Serifs are said to work better on the page (Times New Roman, Garamond) and sans-serifs (Arial, Verdana) are said to work better on the screen. This article lays out why and is also sort of skeptical. That site’s design, incidentally, is also a good example of how sans-serif fonts (with other factors, yeah, like the big margins) can make black-on-white text soft and appealing.
Yes, I am being a little defensive, I guess.
I guess I don’t have a problem with black on white. As what’s on this very comment box I’m writing in. Part of it might be that I grew up, literally, reading text on a computer screen, and so my eyes are no doubt irrevocably damaged in a way that allows me to handle all that harsh pallor.
I agree with the cited examples of good design, and I agree that the Higher Education article is sloppy for the reasons mentioned, but I don’t see black-on-white as an dealbreaker, and I would argue–maybe wobbily–that there are lots of kids like me whose eyes are fucked enough to handle B&W.
The Higher Education article also misuses Times New Roman, I think. It hasn’t been mentioned here yet, but I think the difference between serif and sans serif fonts are really important. Serifs are said to work better on the page (Times New Roman, Garamond) and sans-serifs (Arial, Verdana) are said to work better on the screen. This article lays out why and is also sort of skeptical. That site’s design, incidentally, is also a good example of how sans-serif fonts (with other factors, yeah, like the big margins) can make black-on-white text soft and appealing.
Yes, I am being a little defensive, I guess.
NOO is BOOtiful
NOO is BOOtiful
Haha, thanks Jimmy. I know it sounds like I was fishing for compliments or something, but I think I was just in a contentious mood.
Haha, thanks Jimmy. I know it sounds like I was fishing for compliments or something, but I think I was just in a contentious mood.
It’s not that black and white are always bad, it’s just that they are overused.
All you need is a hexadecimal code, and your colors can be anything you want them to be. It’s not like people are limited by the color of paper or the price of colored ink.
Slightly off-white is nice too, but for some reason people always default to using #FFFFFF instead of #FFFFCC or something even more muted and plain.
That being said, it’s probably not always good to experiment either. Fucked-up color will kill your retinas worse than any black on white.
Or, maybe it will take us to the next level. Daniel Spinks’ blog is an awesome journey into the extreme of retina blasting.
It’s not that black and white are always bad, it’s just that they are overused.
All you need is a hexadecimal code, and your colors can be anything you want them to be. It’s not like people are limited by the color of paper or the price of colored ink.
Slightly off-white is nice too, but for some reason people always default to using #FFFFFF instead of #FFFFCC or something even more muted and plain.
That being said, it’s probably not always good to experiment either. Fucked-up color will kill your retinas worse than any black on white.
Or, maybe it will take us to the next level. Daniel Spinks’ blog is an awesome journey into the extreme of retina blasting.
That’s a good point about the slightly off-white.
That’s a good point about the slightly off-white.
Пинайте своего хостера – сайт с трудом открылся :(
Пинайте своего хостера – сайт с трудом открылся :(