L I M E Blog

Fonts: Information

Well, I promised I would define a few typesetting terms, So today I shall fulfill that promise.

• Tracking or Letter spacing: The distance in between individual characters, and is generally measured in /1000 of an em (an em being the number of points of the font size with which one is working)
• Kerning is not to be confused with tracking. It is not really an important thing to adjust anymore. It changes the amount of overlap between individual characters in words to produce as little space between letters as possible. 
• Leading is the distance vertically between lines of text. This is measured generally in points.
• Serifs are the ornamentation on letters, sometimes called tales. They are decorative and quickly going out of style. If a font doesn't have serifs, it is called sans-serif.

So, there you have it. Some simple terms to get you started on a better life of typography.

SHIPPING ADVENTURES

As the Administrative Assistant here at L I M E, I am occasionally asked to do some odds-and-ends type tasks.  I recently received such a task last week that took a ridiculous amount of time to figure out.  I was asked to set up an account with a shipping company.  No big deal.  I did it in about 20 minutes and thought we were good to go.  As I called to have our first package shipped, it got a whole lot more complicated.  The whole process took a few hours to complete (thus the absence of my blog last Thursday), way more time than necessary.  I called the company a few times to have them help me and walk me through "it".  Each operator walked me through "it" leading me to a different place and a different task online.  I just wanted to make a label.  That's all.  I was finally making progress and had a truck that was supposed to come in about 30 minutes when the website asked for the weight.  Dang it.  Off I went to OfficeMax, where I am currently a regular shopper, to buy a scale.  I rushed back to the office with my purchase and to my surprise, they didn't include a power adaptor OR batteries.  This is not ok.  So off I went to Smith's for batteries.  That is just a small portion of the shipping adventure, but I'll spare you the rest.  Everything is under control now and I can ship a package in under ten minutes from the time that I am asked to do so.  However, this is a video that is exactly what I experienced.  Frustration at first that just wound up being slightly humorous in the end.  And by slightly humorous, I mean ridiculously humorous.  Enjoy.

P.S.

The company referred too in this video is not the company that I was using, for you information.

Fonts: What not to do.

There is a simple rule of thumb when using fonts regarding how many fonts to use in one document. The rule I was taught was no more than 3. Personally, I think that 3 is pushing it, and realistically, no more than 2 should ever be seen at the same time. Why is this you ask? Isn't it nice to have variety? Well, no. Not really. It looks sloppy. It looks like you can't make up your mind about what font you like, and your document looks cluttered, unsure and in turn reflects upon whatever or whomever the document is representing. So, keep it simple, and you will present a more professional look. So please, let's keep it classy and avoid abominations like this example on the left.