In Search Of Design » leading

When leading is tough

admin — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:44:15 +0000

Everybody wants to be a leader, but few want to do what it takes to be a successful leader. So what DOES it take to lead? Whether you are leading a team of 2 or 2,000 it is not always easy. Regardless of your rules and policies, not everyone will like you. I’ve personally found this is especially true if you try to do the right thing.

Yep, unfortunately, standing for the "right" often causes the chasm to occur, it sifts those employees who have pure hearts away from those who would rather go their own way. It has been my experience that it’s easy for a leader to feel alone. The saying "it’s lonely at the top" holds true. When you’re in a position of authority, you will make enemies.

You may find yourself feeling like an outsider among friends who used to be peers and have now become employees. How do you cope with these emotions, while maintaining your authority?

This is a situation I have faced. Through a series of hardware issues, software issues, personnel issues and other miscellaneous problems, it seemed like once I had been placed in a position of authority all hell had broken loose. The problems were unsurmountable. I felt like I was quickly drowning in a pool of hopelessness.

Thankfully, a couple of wise women helped me change my perspective on the situation. I had been placed in that position of authority because I was equipped to handle the job. And so are you. If you find yourself suddenly thrust into a position you may not be comfortable with, remember the reason you’re there. Somebody knows you can handle it.

Rise up to the occassion and prove ‘em right!

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Type Treatments

JP — Sun, 25 May 2008 18:02:02 +0000

kern-what?
Text kerning refers the space between the letters. Now, this is not to be confused with tracking, which is the space between the words. Or leading: the space between lines (known as line-height in Web circles). Good typography utilizes both. The more white space in your layout the more reader-friendly your text will be.

By adding kerning to display text you can create a lighter, modern feel to your design. Similarly, by tightening the kerning you can create a denser feel to the layout, making it heavy and bulky on the page.

Adjusting the tracking can alleviate bad breaks in the copy caused by justified text. Slightly adjusting the tracking in a line is not noticeable, however for a light and airy effect try adding a little extra trackingto a paragraph for an easy-reading experience.

Last but not least, leading (pronounced ledding) is the space between the lines. As with everything else, the more space you have between lines the easier it is for the reader to separate the lines of text as they read. A good rule of thumb is to have at least a 4 pt increase in size (i.e. 12 pt font, 16 pt leading). Obviously, this guideline is based on a perfect world. Often you have to adjust your text to fit within the space determined by the size of the piece you’re working on. Just remember, using a little more space and making the piece readable will benefit everyone in the long run.

These terms, ideas and suggestions are just the tip of the iceberg that is Typography. Pay close attention to the text around you and you too will start to notice typography in action!

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