| ClearType improves readability on
color LCD displays with a digital interface, such as
those in laptops and high-quality flat panel
displays. | |
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| The ClearType Tuner lets you activate and
control your ClearType settings. |
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| Left: An outline that hasn't been
grid-fitted. Note how poorly the outline corresponds to the
pixel pattern. Right: The same outline grid-fitted. Now the
outline has been adjusted to fit snugly around each pixel,
ensuring that the correct pixels are turned on. |
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ClearType was used in developing the way on-screen
text appears in Windows XP and Office 2003, and fonts developed for
early versions of these technologies include Verdana and Georgia.
The process has since been refined, and a new and more effective
version of ClearType will ship with Longhorn, complete with the new
collection of fonts.
A Convergence of Tech and Text
The
Microsoft ClearType Font Collection is the result of an exhilarating
collaboration between Microsoft employees and an international
selection of type designers, consultants, and technical specialists.
Between January 2003 and November 2004, when the fonts were unveiled
to the world, this unique blend of designers and developers from
across the globe worked together to understand how best to combine
the elegant design of the fonts with workable technological
solutions.
Six of the fonts (Calibri, Cambria, Candara, Consolas,
Constantia, and Corbel) are Latin (or Western) typefaces, with
equivalent scripts in Cyrillic and Greek. The seventh, Meiryo, is a
Japanese typeface that harmoniously combines over 20,000 Japanese
and Latin character glyphs to facilitate a smooth reading flow.
Their beauty and functionality cannot be denied. Even before their
general release in Longhorn, the Microsoft ClearType Font Collection
has gathered a number of design and typography awards.
Raising the Type Bar
Geraldine Wade
and Michael Duggan, who are ClearType Program Managers and
typographers for the Advanced Reading Technologies team in the
Windows Group, led Microsoft’s team. They are responsible for many
of the typefaces used in Microsoft Windows Operating Systems and
applications since 1991, and these new ClearType fonts raise both
the technological and the aesthetic bar in onscreen text.
Geraldine, who hails from the Welsh village of St David’s (Ty
Ddewi in Welsh) has a background in graphics. She obtained her
Master’s degree in letterform design and typography from the Central
School of Art and Design in London. From there she went to work in
1988 at Monotype in Redhill, Surrey, England as a senior type
draughtsman. Geraldine is a type designer in her own right, and is
one of the original designers for the “Webdings” font. She has also
created her own beautiful decorative symbol font “Cariadings”
(“Cariad” means love or affection in Welsh), which will also be part
of Longhorn.
Michael, an Irish native, obtained his degree in art and graphic
design from the National College of Art & Design in Dublin. He
worked for Agfa Compugraphic in Ireland before going over to also
work for Monotype in 1990. Michael played a lead role in the
redesign of the Palatino Linotype font, where he worked with famed
German font designer and artist Hermann Zapf. Michael is also one of
four inventors of Microsoft’s patented ClearType technology.
The Future of Fonts
What comes
through from Michael and Geraldine is their passion for their work,
in particular how they’re contributing to their group, Advanced
Reading Technologies. Michael says that he has a huge belief “that
you can drive design into the heart of Microsoft with great type and
great layout. In that way, you have the ability to touch people
through design.” Geraldine agrees: “The combination of technology
and aesthetics is really exciting.” Still, they are not content to
rest on their laurels. As Michael says, “If you look at what we’re
doing today, you see that what can be done in print is still
challenging to do onscreen.”
But what about the future? Michael continues: “Now there are new
abilities--on the web there are no space constraints, and we have
new devices to design for. It opens up a whole world of design
possibilities.” Geraldine makes the observation that “we still have
a long way to go; the technology is not there yet, our task isn’t
done. It’s the design possibilities combined with technology,
research, and integration into a product that makes our team work.
Our driving force is to make a better onscreen reading experience
for everyone.” |
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