Web type, iPhone content
In Issue No. 244 of A List Apart, for people who make websites, father of CSS Håkon Wium Lie advocates real TrueType fonts in web design, while Iconfactory’s Craig Hockenberry (developer of Twitterific) describes in detail how to optimize websites for iPhone.
Web content is mostly text. Web interfaces are text-based. Design consists chiefly in arranging text to aid communication—guiding readers to the words and experiences they seek. Better typography means better web experiences. Improving typography without resorting to image or Flash replacement and their attendant overhead is a consummation devoutly to be wished. Will browser makers rise to Håkon’s challenge?
Apple’s iPhone is the new frontier in interface design, offering rich computing experiences while dumping established techniques like mouse use and copy-and-paste. Its browser component, by contrast, pretty much provides a normal desktop experience via the standards-compliant Safari browser and small but high-resolution screen. For the most part, then, designing web content for the iPhone simply means designing web content. Ah, but there are tricks that can help your site more smoothy accommodate Apple’s new device. Some can even improve the web experience for all users.
Craig Hockenberry seems to have found them all, and he shares what he knows in a two part series that begins in this issue. I have known Craig since 1996; we collaborated on web-oriented Photoshop filters before Adobe figured out the web. He is a brilliant, funny, and modest man, and now you can get to know him, too.
Both articles are bound to produce thought and argument. Both are at least somewhat controversial. I love them both, and admire both writers. It is a pleasure to share this issue with you.
This issue of A List Apart was produced by Andrew Fernandez, technical-edited by Aaron Gustafson and Ethan Marcotte, art directed by Jason Santa Maria, and illustrated, as always, by the amazing Kevin Cornell. Krista Stevens is acquisitions editor. Erin Kissane edits the magazine.
Tags: design, webdesign, alistapart, håkon, chockenberry, truetype, fonts, typography, webtype, webtypography, apple, iphone
Filed under: A List Apart, Browsers, Design, Standards, Tools, development, iphone
I’m not if this is a good idea to design for any specific device. Earlier, when fighting for web standards designers were condemning IE for they had to design specifically for this browser and were too much dependent from Microsoft. Now they hailing iphone and kind of voluntary putting chains on themselves. And it seems that all this because of the massive irrational hype about this specific device. What I’m afraid of is that Apple product users will become too dependent on this company and unable to rationally evaluate its products (kind of fanatics?) like many people still dependent on MS (however rather haters – not fanatics). Do you think this is possible? I mean will we have Apple-Jugend? :)
Mindaugas: If you read the article, it clearly states:
“One final thing to keep in mind when you start this kind of development: make it an addition to your existing site. Don’t force an iPhone to use this special section of your site—it’s an enhancement, not a jail. Likewise, if a user without an iPhone wants to look at this part of your site, don’t block them with some “for iPhone only” nonsense. Remember that the web always works best when it’s open and developers don’t try to outsmart their visitors.”
No one has to design specifically for iPhone. No one is advocating iPhone-only sites or apps. No one is suggesting you ignore other devices. People are only suggesting you create iPhone-optimized alternate versions of your site, in the case that you have a large number of iPhone users in your audience.
An iPhone article on ALA, Cameron Moll’s new book on mobile web is released, and my boss gets a new phone with 3G all within 48 hours of each other. The stars are none-too-subtle when they align.
One of the great things about the iPhone, even though I haven’t bought one and probably never will, is that it’s really giving the mobile web the kick in the butt it needed. It’s been how many years now, and reading the web (the proper world wide web, not some TelCo “walled garden”) on your phone still hasn’t taken off?
As long as people aren’t building iPhone-specific apps to the extent that it excludes other devices, the iPhone could be great for the web, because developers and companies finally have a reason to seriously think about mobile web apps.
That might be the best thing about the iPhone – that it forces companies to consider the handheld audience. Even rubes like me with a WinMo 5 PDA can get behind that.
I don’t see the big deal about the new iPhone to be fair. The advert tells you that you can talk to a friend, get cinema times and book the tickets, with no hassle… I live with my friend so I just shout downstairs to her, get in the car and before you know it we’re in the cinema – no cost, no hassle.
Does that prove that the iPhone is obsolete?
Disregarding the iPhone for a moment (I don’t own one, don’t plan on owning one!), but the article about the 20 artists was brilliant. The work by Will Murai is simply beautiful and really stood out for me. Thanks for sharing them.