From the course: Typography: Type in Motion

The elastic screen size

From the course: Typography: Type in Motion

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The elastic screen size

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- We live in a world where screens are elastic. Viewers consume content on every manner of device, on their phones, on tablets, on laptops, on desktop computers, on televisions that can range up to very large sizes, and of course, in theaters and presentation environments like conferences. On their personal devices, viewers can often control the brightness of their screens, the color balance, the orientation, and other aspects to suit their own viewing habits. So, how are we to respond? As designers, we come from a world where we're in control of how things are viewed. We're trained to make decisions based on providing the best possible viewing experience. How can we adjust our decisions to reflect this new reality? One thing hasn't changed, a top priority for every designer is to make sure our typography is legible and readable. (mellow music) We know that type is at the heart of sending a message of communicating information or an idea, with or without images. It's still true that some projects will be designed for device-specific situations like this typographic animation from ESPN. But most projects must be ready, willing, and able to hold up under variety of sizes. An obvious example of this is a feature film. First, it may be released in theaters, then, it may become available for streaming on a variety of devices. Here's a great example of titles that will work at any size, from Bonnie Siegler at Eight and a Half. (ethnic music) (ethnic music) (ethnic music) (ethnic music) (ethnic music) (ethnic music) (ethnic music) Some creative concepts for film title sequences just can't be this bold, because the subject matter and visual style requires more subtlety. (subtle music) In this example, the subtlety sets the tone, although viewers who are viewing in smaller formats may not be able to read the credits. The title sequences often aren't remastered. But, if we are to serve our viewers on every platform, we designers need to be aware of this reality, and just deal with it, if we can, and when we can. Whether we like it or not, viewers will choose how they want to view our work. We have to make the best of it, which means doing what I call, designing for the middle.

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