TED2014
Matthew Carter: My life in typefaces
馬修·卡特: 我與字體的一生
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隨便拿起一本書、雜誌或進入一個網頁，你所看到的排印設計很有可能就出自於馬修·卡特之手。Verdana、Georgia 和 Bell Centennial（起初都是為電話簿設計的）這些字體都是由卡特設計。他將畢生心血投入到每一種字型，每一個字母，直至每一個像素。在這個令人著迷的演講中，他將帶我們走進他的職業生涯。
Matthew Carter - Type designer
Even if you don’t recognize his name, chances are you’ve seen Matthew Carter’s work -- his type designs include some of the world’s most familiar digital typefaces. Full bio
Even if you don’t recognize his name, chances are you’ve seen Matthew Carter’s work -- his type designs include some of the world’s most familiar digital typefaces. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
Type is something we consume
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我們以龐大的數量
00:14
in enormous quantities.
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消耗著印刷文字
在世界上絕大多數地方
00:16
In much of the world,
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00:17
it's completely inescapable.
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這是完全無可避免的
00:19
But few consumers are concerned to know
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但是很少有消費者會在意
00:22
where a particular typeface came from
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如果事實上 字體的創造
00:24
or when or who designed it,
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有人類力量參與其中
00:27
if, indeed, there was any human agency involved
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如果它不是從軟體環境裡自動生成
00:30
in its creation, if it didn't just sort of materialize
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那麼某一特定的字體從何而來
00:33
out of the software ether.
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或者何時由何人設計
00:37
But I do have to be concerned with those things.
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但我必須關心這類問題
00:40
It's my job.
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因為這是我的工作
00:42
I'm one of the tiny handful of people
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我和另外少數人
00:44
who gets badly bent out of shape
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會因為T和E之間的間距問題
00:46
by the bad spacing of the T and the E
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而怒不可遏
00:49
that you see there.
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正如你們所見
00:50
I've got to take that slide off.
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我得換掉那張幻燈片
00:52
I can't stand it. Nor can Chris.
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因為我無法忍受 克理斯也是
00:54
There. Good.
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這樣 總算好了
00:56
So my talk is about the connection
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所以我的演講是關於
00:57
between technology and design of type.
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技術與印刷文字之間的聯繫
01:01
The technology has changed
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自從我開始工作以來
01:03
a number of times since I started work:
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技術經歷了幾次變革：
01:06
photo, digital, desktop, screen, web.
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相片 數位 桌面 螢幕 網頁
01:11
I've had to survive those changes and try
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我必須在這些變革中求得生存
01:13
to understand their implications for what I do
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並且試圖理解這對我的設計工作
01:15
for design.
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意味著什麼
01:17
This slide is about the effect of tools on form.
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這張是關於工具對形態的影響
01:22
The two letters, the two K's,
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這兩個字母 兩個K
01:25
the one on your left, my right, is modern,
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你們左手邊 我的右手邊的 是現代設計
01:28
made on a computer.
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在電腦上完成的
01:30
All straight lines are dead straight.
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所有的直線都絕對筆直
01:32
The curves have that kind of
mathematical smoothness
mathematical smoothness
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這些曲線根據貝塞爾曲線公式
01:34
that the Bézier formula imposes.
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都有種精準的平滑度
01:38
On the right, ancient Gothic,
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右邊是古代哥德字母
01:41
cut in the resistant material of steel by hand.
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是用耐久的鋼材質手工切割的
01:45
None of the straight lines are actually straight.
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沒有一條絕對的直線
01:47
The curves are kind of subtle.
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曲線也相對微妙
01:49
It has that spark of life from the human hand
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它有種來自人類手工的生命力
01:54
that the machine or the program
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這是機器或電腦程式
01:56
can never capture.
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永遠也無法捕捉的
01:58
What a contrast.
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多麼強烈的對比
02:00
Well, I tell a lie.
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好吧 其實我撒謊了
02:02
A lie at TED. I'm really sorry.
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在TED上撒謊 真是很抱歉
02:05
Both of these were made on a computer,
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這兩種字體都是在電腦上製作的
02:07
same software, same Bézier curves,
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同樣的軟體 同樣是貝塞爾公式
02:09
same font format.
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同樣的字體格式
02:11
The one on your left
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你們左邊這個
02:13
was made by Zuzana Licko at Emigre,
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是由 Emigre 的 Zuzana Licko 所創作的
02:16
and I did the other one.
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右邊這個是我製作的
02:17
The tool is the same, yet the letters are different.
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工具是一樣的 而字體卻不一樣
02:20
The letters are different
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這些字體的不同
02:22
because the designers are different.
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是由於設計者的不同
02:23
That's all. Zuzana wanted hers to look like that.
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僅此而已 Zuzana 想要那樣的字體
02:26
I wanted mine to look like that. End of story.
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而我想要這樣的字體 就是這樣
02:30
Type is very adaptable.
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印刷文字的適應性很強
02:32
Unlike a fine art, such as sculpture or architecture,
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不像藝術品 如雕塑或建築
02:35
type hides its methods.
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印刷文字隱藏了手法
02:39
I think of myself as an industrial designer.
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我把自己看作是工業設計者
02:41
The thing I design is manufactured,
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我設計的東西要投入生產
02:43
and it has a function:
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而且具有功能：
02:45
to be read, to convey meaning.
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滿足人們閱讀與表達的需要
02:47
But there is a bit more to it than that.
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但字體的設計不止於此
02:48
There's the sort of aesthetic element.
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其中還有美學元素
02:50
What makes these two letters different
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通過不同設計者的不同解讀
02:53
from different interpretations by different designers?
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這兩種字體為何變得不同？
02:56
What gives the work of some designers
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是什麼賦予了某些設計師的作品
02:58
sort of characteristic personal style,
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一種特有的個人風格
03:01
as you might find in the work of a fashion designer,
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就像你在時裝設計 汽車設計等作品中
03:03
an automobile designer, whatever?
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所能發現的那樣？
03:06
There have been some cases, I admit,
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我承認 作為一名設計師
03:08
where I as a designer
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曾經有些時候
03:09
did feel the influence of technology.
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我的確感受到技術的影響力
03:12
This is from the mid-'60s,
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這是從60年代中期開始
03:15
the change from metal type to photo,
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金屬鑄排變成照相排版
03:18
hot to cold.
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“熱排”變成“冷排”
03:19
This brought some benefits
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這帶來一些好處
03:21
but also one particular drawback:
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但同時也有一個弊端：
03:24
a spacing system that only provided
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文字間距系統
03:27
18 discrete units for letters
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只提供18個獨立的單位
03:31
to be accommodated on.
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來讓我們調試字母
03:33
I was asked at this time to design
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這時 有人讓我設計
03:35
a series of condensed sans serif types
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一系列的壓縮無襯線字體
03:38
with as many different variants as possible
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要有盡可能多的變體
03:41
within this 18-unit box.
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但都限於這18個單位
03:45
Quickly looking at the arithmetic,
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做了簡單的算數後
03:46
I realized I could only actually make three
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我發現我其實只能製作
三個有關設計 如大家所見
03:50
of related design. Here you see them.
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03:53
In Helvetica Compressed, Extra Compressed,
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Helvetica字體的壓縮版 超壓縮版
03:56
and Ultra Compressed, this rigid 18-unit system
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和終極壓縮版
這種嚴格的18單位的系統
這種嚴格的18單位的系統
04:00
really boxed me in.
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著實限制了我的發揮
04:01
It kind of determined the proportions
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它一定程度上決定了
04:03
of the design.
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設計的比例
04:05
Here are the typefaces, at least the lower cases.
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這是這三種字體的小寫體
04:09
So do you look at these and say,
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看著這些 你會不會說：
04:12
"Poor Matthew, he had to submit to a problem,
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可憐的馬修 他不得不屈服於一個問題
04:15
and by God it shows in the results."
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上帝可鑒 結果就是這樣
04:19
I hope not.
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我不希望這樣
04:20
If I were doing this same job today,
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如果這個任務放到今天
04:22
instead of having 18 spacing units,
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我會用1000個單位
04:25
I would have 1,000.
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而不是18個
很明顯 我就能做更多變體
04:28
Clearly I could make more variants,
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04:31
but would these three members
of the family be better?
of the family be better?
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但是這三種字體會變得更好嗎？
04:35
It's hard to say without actually doing it,
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若沒有著手去做 則很難說
04:37
but they would not be better in the proportion
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但我能告訴你 在1000/18的比例下
04:39
of 1,000 to 18, I can tell you that.
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他們絕不會變得更好
04:42
My instinct tells you that any improvement
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我的直覺告訴你們 任何的改善
04:44
would be rather slight, because they were designed
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都會微乎其微 因為它們在設計之初
04:47
as functions of the system they were designed to fit,
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就被限於一個必須去適應的系統
04:50
and as I said, type is very adaptable.
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而我剛才說過 印刷文字的適應性很高
04:52
It does hide its methods.
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印刷字的確隱藏了其手法
04:55
All industrial designers work within constraints.
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所有的工業設計師都在制約內工作
04:58
This is not fine art.
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這不是藝術
05:00
The question is, does a constraint
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問題是 制約會不會
05:02
force a compromise?
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強加某種折衷？
05:05
By accepting a constraint,
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接受一種制約的同時
05:07
are you working to a lower standard?
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你是否降低了工作標準？
05:09
I don't believe so, and I've always been encouraged
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我不這樣認為
查爾斯·伊姆斯的話
一直鼓勵著我
一直鼓勵著我
05:11
by something that Charles Eames said.
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05:13
He said he was conscious of working
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他說 他明白自己的工作
05:15
within constraints,
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受到一些制約
05:16
but not of making compromises.
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但從不會降低工作品質
05:19
The distinction between a constraint
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制約和折衷
05:21
and a compromise is obviously very subtle,
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之間的區別很微妙
05:24
but it's very central to my attitude to work.
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但卻是我工作態度的核心
05:29
Remember this reading experience?
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還記得這種閱讀體驗嗎？
05:32
The phone book. I'll hold the slide
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電話簿 這張幻燈片會停一會
05:34
so you can enjoy the nostalgia.
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讓你們享受懷舊的愉悅
05:38
This is from the mid-'70s early trials
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這是70年代中期，
05:41
of Bell Centennial typeface I designed
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我設計的 Bell Centennial 字體
05:44
for the U.S. phone books,
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在美國電話簿上的早期試驗
05:45
and it was my first experience of digital type,
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這是我對數碼印刷字的初次體驗
05:49
and quite a baptism.
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如思想洗禮一般
05:53
Designed for the phone books, as I said,
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我說過 這是為電話簿設計的
05:55
to be printed at tiny size on newsprint
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要以微小字型大小印在新聞用紙上
05:58
on very high-speed rotary presses
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用高速的輪轉印刷機
06:00
with ink that was kerosene and lampblack.
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和煤油煤煙制的墨水
06:03
This is not a hospitable environment
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這種工作環境對一個排印設計者來說
06:07
for a typographic designer.
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並不舒適
06:10
So the challenge for me was to design type
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所以對我的挑戰就是
設計的字體在這種惡劣的生產環境中
06:12
that performed as well as possible
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06:13
in these very adverse production conditions.
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能盡可能地表現出色
06:18
As I say, we were in the infancy of digital type.
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如我所說 我們還處於數碼排印的初期
我必須在方格紙上
06:21
I had to draw every character by hand
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動手畫出每個字
06:24
on quadrille graph paper --
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06:26
there were four weights of Bell Centennial —
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——Bell Centennial 字體有四種粗細——
06:28
pixel by pixel, then encode
them raster line by raster line
them raster line by raster line
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一個像素一個像素地畫 然後給每個光柵線編碼
06:31
for the keyboard.
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使它們適用於鍵盤
06:32
It took two years, but I learned a lot.
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我花了兩年時間 但學到了很多
06:36
These letters look as though they've been chewed
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這些字母看起來像是被
06:38
by the dog or something or other,
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狗或其他什麼咬了一樣
06:39
but the missing pixels at the intersections
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但是在筆劃的交叉點
06:41
of strokes or in the crotches
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之所以有些像素缺失
06:43
are the result of my studying the effects
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是因為我瞭解了墨水
在廉價紙上會是什麼效果
06:46
of ink spread on cheap paper
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06:49
and reacting, revising the font accordingly.
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於是對字型做了相應修改
06:53
These strange artifacts are designed to compensate
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設計這些奇怪的人造字型是為了抵消
06:56
for the undesirable effects of scale
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測量和生產過程所帶來的
06:59
and production process.
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不理想的效果
07:01
At the outset, AT&T had wanted
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一開始 AT&T 想要
07:04
to set the phone books in Helvetica,
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在電話簿裡應用 Helvetica 字體
07:07
but as my friend Erik Spiekermann said
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但是正如我的朋友艾瑞克·史皮克曼
07:09
in the Helvetica movie, if you've seen that,
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在《Helvetica》這部紀錄片理所說
如果大家看過的話
如果大家看過的話
07:11
the letters in Helvetica were designed to be
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Helvetica 字體的設計是為了
07:13
as similar to one another as possible.
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讓所有字母都盡可能相似
07:16
This is not the recipe for legibility at small size.
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這並不是為了提高小號字的可讀性
07:19
It looks very elegant up on a slide.
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在幻燈片上看相當優美
07:22
I had to disambiguate these forms
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我必須在 Bell Centennial 字體中
07:24
of the figures as much as possible in Bell Centennial
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盡可能的區分每一個數字的樣式
07:27
by sort of opening the shapes up, as you can see
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這是通過將這種樣式的形狀打開
07:29
in the bottom part of that slide.
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如最後一行這樣
07:32
So now we're on to the mid-'80s,
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這時已經快到80年代中期
07:35
the early days of digital outline fonts,
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這是數碼輪廓字體和向量技術
07:38
vector technology.
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發展的早期
07:40
There was an issue at that time
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當時有一個問題
07:42
with the size of the fonts,
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是關於字型的大小
07:44
the amount of data that was required to find
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以及在電腦裡尋找和儲存一種字型
07:47
and store a font in computer memory.
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所需要的數據量
07:52
It limited the number of fonts you could get
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這限制了你能一次從排版系統中
07:53
on your typesetting system at any one time.
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得到的字型的數量
07:56
I did an analysis of the data,
180
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4149
我對這些數據進行了分析
08:00
and found that a typical serif face
181
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發現 你們左手邊
08:03
you see on the left
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這種典型的襯線體
08:04
needed nearly twice as much data
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需要的數據量幾乎是
08:06
as a sans serif in the middle
184
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中間的無襯線體的兩倍
08:09
because of all the points required
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這是因為做出優雅的襯線弧度
08:11
to define the elegantly curved serif brackets.
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所需要的那些點
08:16
The numbers at the bottom of the slide, by the way,
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順便說一句 幻燈片底部的數字
08:19
they represent the amount of data
188
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1702
它們表示了儲存各種字體
08:21
needed to store each of the fonts.
189
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所需要的數據量
08:24
So the sans serif, in the middle,
190
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2166
所以位於中間的無襯線體
08:27
sans the serifs, was much more economical,
191
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2964
去掉了襯線 則變得更省數據
08:30
81 to 151.
192
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2199
由原來的151變成81
08:32
"Aha," I thought. "The engineers have a problem.
193
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我想：啊哈 工程師們遇到了問題
08:35
Designer to the rescue."
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我們設計師來解決
08:38
I made a serif type, you can see it on the right,
195
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2347
我便製作了一種襯線體 就是你們右邊這個
08:40
without curved serifs.
196
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1947
去掉了彎曲的襯線
08:42
I made them polygonal, out
of straight line segments,
of straight line segments,
197
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2416
我把它們變成了多邊形
由許多線段組成
由許多線段組成
08:44
chamfered brackets.
198
512915
1983
且對襯線彎曲處進行了斜切
08:46
And look, as economical in data as a sans serif.
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看 結果跟無襯線體一樣節省數據
08:51
We call it Charter, on the right.
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右邊這種 我們叫它 Charter 字體
08:53
So I went to the head of engineering
201
521565
1970
所以我帶著這些數據
08:55
with my numbers, and I said proudly,
202
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2458
去找工程部主管 驕傲地說：
08:57
"I have solved your problem."
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2128
我解決了你的問題
09:00
"Oh," he said. "What problem?"
204
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3713
他說：哦 什麼問題？
09:03
And I said, "Well, you know, the problem
205
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1646
我說：你知道的 就是
09:05
of the huge data you require
for serif fonts and so on."
for serif fonts and so on."
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3417
襯線體的數據量要求過大之類的
09:08
"Oh," he said. "We solved that problem last week.
207
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3547
他說：我們上禮拜已經解決了
09:12
We wrote a compaction routine that reduces
208
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我們寫了一個壓縮例程
09:14
the size of all fonts by an order of magnitude.
209
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2580
將所有字型的大小減小一個數量級
09:17
You can have as many fonts on your system
210
545180
1988
現在你想在系統裡有多少字型
09:19
as you like."
211
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1558
就能有多少
09:20
"Well, thank you for letting me know," I said.
212
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我說：好吧 謝謝你讓我知道
09:23
Foiled again.
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1630
再次受挫
09:24
I was left with a design solution
214
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2045
我手裡的這個設計方案
09:27
for a nonexistent technical problem.
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4473
卻是為了一個不存在的技術問題
09:31
But here is where the story sort
of gets interesting for me.
of gets interesting for me.
216
559488
2469
但就在這裡 我突然來了興致
09:33
I didn't just throw my design away
217
561957
2595
我並沒有一氣之下
09:36
in a fit of pique.
218
564552
1401
扔掉我的設計
09:37
I persevered.
219
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1737
我還要繼續
09:39
What had started as a technical exercise
220
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2168
一開始的一個技術性操作
09:41
became an aesthetic exercise, really.
221
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3264
現在卻成了一個美學課題
09:45
In other words, I had come to like this typeface.
222
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3049
也就是說 我開始喜歡這個字體了
09:48
Forget its origins. Screw that.
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2319
別想一開始為什麼了 管他呢
09:50
I liked the design for its own sake.
224
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2490
我就是喜歡這個字體本身
09:52
The simplified forms of Charter
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2383
Charter 的這種簡化形式
09:55
gave it a sort of plain-spoken quality
226
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2083
給了它一種簡單明了的特質
09:57
and unfussy spareness
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1551
和不做作的留白
09:58
that sort of pleased me.
228
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2490
這讓我很高興
10:01
You know, at times of technical innovation,
229
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要知道 在技術革新的年代
10:04
designers want to be influenced
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1520
設計者想要被
10:05
by what's in the air.
231
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未知的想法所影響
10:07
We want to respond. We want to be pushed
232
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我們想回應未知 想推進自己
10:09
into exploring something new.
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探索未知的世界
10:12
So Charter is a sort of parable for me, really.
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所以 Charter 是我給自己上的一課
10:15
In the end, there was no hard and fast causal link
235
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3790
最終 技術和 Charter 的設計之間
10:19
between the technology and the design of Charter.
236
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3193
並沒有確切的因果聯繫
10:22
I had really misunderstood the technology.
237
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3762
我當時誤解了那些技術
10:26
The technology did suggest something to me,
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3328
技術的確給了我一點啟發
10:29
but it did not force my hand,
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2117
但並沒有迫使我做什麼
10:32
and I think this happens very often.
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2717
而且我認為這時常發生
10:34
You know, engineers are very smart,
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2626
大家知道 工程師都很聰明
10:37
and despite occasional frustrations
242
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1556
除了偶爾因為自己不夠聰明
10:38
because I'm less smart,
243
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1527
而感到挫敗以外
10:40
I've always enjoyed working with them
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1727
我一直都為能跟他們合作和
10:42
and learning from them.
245
630180
2078
向他們學習而感到高興
10:44
Apropos, in the mid-'90s,
246
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2342
說到這裡 在90年代中期
10:46
I started talking to Microsoft
247
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我開始跟微軟談論
10:49
about screen fonts.
248
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螢幕字型的事情
10:51
Up to that point, all the fonts on screen
249
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2421
直到那時 所有的螢幕字型
10:54
had been adapted from previously existing
250
642100
2753
當然都還是從之前的印刷字
10:56
printing fonts, of course.
251
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2377
改造而成
10:59
But Microsoft foresaw correctly
252
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2503
但是微軟正確地預見到
11:01
the movement, the stampede
253
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2150
這次變革 這次向
11:03
towards electronic communication,
254
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電子通訊的潮湧
11:06
to reading and writing onscreen
255
654670
2030
向螢幕閱讀和書寫的邁進
11:08
with the printed output as being sort of secondary
256
656700
3133
而印刷產物可能會在重要性上
11:11
in importance.
257
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2223
位居第二
11:14
So the priorities were just tipping at that point.
258
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3579
所以 重點任務就是開始嘗試
11:17
They wanted a small core set of fonts
259
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2194
他們想要一小組核心字型
11:19
that were not adapted but designed for the screen
260
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3305
不是改編而來 而是專為螢幕設計
11:23
to face up to the problems of screen,
261
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2573
來解決一些螢幕上的問題
11:25
which were their coarse resolution displays.
262
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3842
也就是他們低解析度的顯示螢幕
11:29
I said to Microsoft, a typeface designed
263
677549
3531
我跟微軟說，專門為一項技術
11:33
for a particular technology
264
681080
1569
而設計的字體
11:34
is a self-obsoleting typeface.
265
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3375
首先自身就過時了
11:38
I've designed too many faces in the past
266
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2094
我過去設計了很多字體
11:40
that were intended to mitigate technical problems.
267
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3579
都為了緩解技術問題
11:43
Thanks to the engineers, the
technical problems went away.
technical problems went away.
268
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2835
多虧工程師們 技術問題已經沒有了
11:46
So did my typeface.
269
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2489
而我的設計也沒有了
11:49
It was only a stopgap.
270
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3131
因為這種設計只是一個中轉站
11:52
Microsoft came back to say that
271
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微軟回來告訴我
11:53
affordable computer monitors
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1630
負擔得起的解析度較高的
11:55
with better resolutions
273
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1197
電腦顯示器
11:56
were at least a decade away.
274
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2596
至少還需十年
11:59
So I thought, well, a decade, that's not bad,
275
707116
2654
所以我想 十年 那還不算太糟
12:01
that's more than a stopgap.
276
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2412
起碼比中轉期要長
12:04
So I was persuaded, I was convinced,
277
712182
2001
這樣我就被說服了
12:06
and we went to work on what became Verdana
278
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2322
我們開始合作
製作出今天的 Verdana
製作出今天的 Verdana
12:08
and Georgia,
279
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1672
和Georgia字體
12:10
for the first time working not on paper
280
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2340
第一次沒有在紙上工作
12:12
but directly onto the screen from the pixel up.
281
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3960
而是從像素開始就直接在螢幕上操作
12:16
At that time, screens were binary.
282
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3853
那時 螢幕是二進制的
12:20
The pixel was either on or it was off.
283
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3040
像素要麼開 要麼關
12:23
Here you see the outline of a letter,
284
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2855
這是一個字母的輪廓
12:26
the cap H,
285
734225
1467
大寫 H
12:27
which is the thin black line, the contour,
286
735692
2801
其中的細黑線便是輪廓
12:30
which is how it is stored in memory,
287
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2876
這就是它如何在電腦裡儲存的
12:33
superimposed on the bitmap,
288
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1670
輪廓置於點陣圖之上
12:35
which is the grey area,
289
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2148
也就是灰色區域
12:37
which is how it's displayed on the screen.
290
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1837
這就是它在熒幕上如何顯示的
12:39
The bitmap is rasterized from the outline.
291
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3146
點陣圖在輪廓之內都被光柵化
12:42
Here in a cap H, which is all straight lines,
292
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2241
這裡 H 是由直線寫成
12:44
the two are in almost perfect sync
293
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2088
所以輪廓和點陣圖在直角網格上
12:46
on the Cartesian grid.
294
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4368
完美同步
12:50
Not so with an O.
295
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3126
而字母 O 就不是了
12:53
This looks more like bricklaying
than type design,
than type design,
296
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2727
這看起來更像壘磚 而不是字體設計
12:56
but believe me, this is a good bitmap O,
297
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2901
但相信我 這是個很好的 O 形點陣圖
12:59
for the simple reason that it's symmetrical
298
767621
2015
就是因為它在 x 和 y 軸上
13:01
in both x and y axes.
299
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2480
都是對稱的
13:04
In a binary bitmap, you actually can't ask
300
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2858
在二進制的點陣圖上 能達到這樣
13:06
for more than that.
301
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1720
其實就夠了
13:08
I would sometimes make, I don't know,
302
776694
2404
有時我會為一個較麻煩的字母
13:11
three or four different versions of a difficult letter
303
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2356
做3到4個不同版本
13:13
like a lowercase A,
304
781454
1506
比如小寫 a
13:14
and then stand back to choose which was the best.
305
782960
3540
然後靠後站一點選擇一個最好的
13:18
Well, there was no best,
306
786500
2095
其實 沒有最好的
13:20
so the designer's judgment comes in
307
788595
2425
那麼設計者就要判斷
13:23
in trying to decide
308
791020
1389
試圖去決定
13:24
which is the least bad.
309
792409
3041
哪個是最不糟糕的
13:27
Is that a compromise?
310
795450
2450
這算一種折衷嗎？
13:29
Not to me, if you are working
311
797900
1546
對我來說不是 因為這是
13:31
at the highest standard the technology will allow,
312
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3087
技術有限的情況下的最高標準
13:34
although that standard may be
313
802533
2209
儘管這個標準
13:36
well short of the ideal.
314
804742
2479
可能遠低於理想水準
13:39
You may be able to see on this slide
315
807221
1591
你現在看到的是
13:40
two different bitmap fonts there.
316
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2162
兩種不同的點陣圖字型
13:42
The "a" in the upper one, I think,
317
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1696
我認為 上面一種的字母 a
13:44
is better than the "a" in the lower one,
318
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1913
好於下面一種的字母 a
13:46
but it still ain't great.
319
814583
2576
但上面那個仍不是很好
13:49
You can maybe see the effect better
320
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1907
或許縮小點效果會更好
13:51
if it's reduced. Well, maybe not.
321
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3376
好吧 或許不是
13:54
So I'm a pragmatist, not an idealist,
322
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2396
所以說我是個實用主義者
而非理想主義者
而非理想主義者
13:56
out of necessity.
323
824838
1503
一切從需求出發
13:58
For a certain kind of temperament,
324
826341
1929
對一種特定的性情
14:00
there is a certain kind of satisfaction
325
828270
1700
都有一種特定的滿足感
14:01
in doing something that cannot be perfect
326
829970
3638
做的事或許不能完美
14:05
but can still be done to the best of your ability.
327
833608
3869
但仍然是盡你所能
14:09
Here's the lowercase H from Georgia Italic.
328
837477
4857
這是小寫 h 的 Georgia 斜體
14:14
The bitmap looks jagged and rough.
329
842334
2273
點陣圖看起來邊緣不齊且粗糙
14:16
It is jagged and rough.
330
844607
1859
但它就是這樣的
14:18
But I discovered, by experiment,
331
846466
1996
但是通過實驗我發現
14:20
that there is an optimum slant
332
848462
3217
對螢幕上的斜體來說
14:23
for an italic on a screen
333
851679
1946
有一個最佳的斜度
14:25
so the strokes break well
334
853625
2332
從而讓筆畫在像素邊緣
14:27
at the pixel boundaries.
335
855957
2483
能合理地分割
14:30
Look in this example how, rough as it is,
336
858440
2781
看看這個例子 儘管粗糙
14:33
how the left and right legs
337
861221
2050
但是左邊和右邊
14:35
actually break at the same level.
338
863271
1949
卻在同一水平線分割
14:37
That's a victory. That's good, right there.
339
865220
3520
這就是勝利 這樣就很好了
14:40
And of course, at the lower depths,
340
868740
3178
當然了 在較低的色深
14:43
you don't get much choice.
341
871918
1923
你並無太多選擇
14:45
This is an S, in case you were wondering.
342
873841
5045
這是 s 如果大家看不太出來的話
14:50
Well, it's been 18 years now
343
878886
2154
距離 Verdana 和 Georgia 的發佈
14:53
since Verdana and Georgia were released.
344
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2650
已有18年了
14:55
Microsoft were absolutely right,
345
883690
2090
微軟當時是對的
14:57
it took a good 10 years,
346
885780
2414
真的花了十年
15:00
but screen displays now do have
347
888194
2280
但現在的螢幕
的確改善了空間解析度
15:02
improved spatial resolution,
348
890474
2453
15:04
and very much improved photometric resolution
349
892927
3472
而且極大提高了光度解析度
15:08
thanks to anti-aliasing and so on.
350
896399
3154
這多虧了反鋸齒之類的技術
15:11
So now that their mission is accomplished,
351
899553
3697
那麼微軟的使命完成了
15:15
has that meant the demise
352
903250
1730
是否意味著我一開始
15:16
of the screen fonts that I designed
353
904980
1880
為低解析度螢幕設計的字體
15:18
for coarser displays back then?
354
906860
2651
又將被拋棄？
15:21
Will they outlive the now-obsolete screens
355
909511
3395
在那批螢幕過時
新的網頁字型湧入市場的情況下
15:24
and the flood of new web fonts
356
912906
2172
我設計的字體能生存下去嗎？
15:27
coming on to the market?
357
915078
1503
15:28
Or have they established their own
358
916581
1860
或者 它們是否建立了
15:30
sort of evolutionary niche
359
918441
2238
自己的演化領域
15:32
that is independent of technology?
360
920679
3737
並獨立於技術？
15:36
In other words, have they been absorbed
361
924416
1671
換句話說 它們是否被納入
15:38
into the typographic mainstream?
362
926087
3313
排印設計的主流？
15:41
I'm not sure, but they've had a good run so far.
363
929400
3658
我不確定 但目前為止它們表現還不錯
15:45
Hey, 18 is a good age for anything
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嘿 以今天的損耗率來看
15:47
with present-day rates of attrition,
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18年對任何事物都很長了
15:49
so I'm not complaining.
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所以我並沒抱怨什麼
15:51
Thank you.
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謝謝
（掌聲）
15:54
(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Matthew Carter - Type designerEven if you don’t recognize his name, chances are you’ve seen Matthew Carter’s work -- his type designs include some of the world’s most familiar digital typefaces.
Why you should listen
MacArthur Fellow Matthew Carter started his career as a punchcutter, a print artisan who physically carves each letter into metal. He had already designed several legendary typefaces (in 1975, he created Bell Centennial for use in phone books) when he stepped into the digital design ring. As part of a project undertaken for Microsoft, Carter created early and successful examples of screen type emphasizing clarity and ease of long-term viewing, including the familiar Verdana, Galliard and Georgia. A recent work is MS Sitka, a family of digital fonts that are built to be readable at many sizes in print and onscreen.
Print and online publications such as Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, Wired and the Washington Post have all commissioned Carter fonts, leading Microsoft's typography blog to call him "the person who shapes the way we read about the world."
Carter is a principal of Carter & Cone Type Inc., a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company specializing in designing and producing original typefaces. As he says: "A typeface is a beautiful collection of letters, not a collection of beautiful letters."
Matthew Carter | Speaker | TED.com