Simon, tell us about your background and how you came to work at Microsoft?

I graduated from the University of Reading (UK) in 1995 with a BA in Typography & Graphic Communication. I wrote my undergraduate dissertation on typography on the web, which led my professor forwarding my name to the typography group here at Microsoft. I was an intern on the typography team over the summer of 1995 and joined Microsoft full time in January 1997. I've worked within the font team for my entire time at Microsoft, so an interesting fact about me is that I didn't interview for my internship or FTE position so I've never been through a Microsoft interview loop and never had an informational interview for a job on another team. I love typography and fonts, and running the font team is still my dream job.

The team currently consists of five program managers, and we're currently part of the Windows Core Experience Team. Previously we were part of Windows International. But despite being part of Windows we have a charter to manage font production and licensing company wide. So we get to help Microsoft games studios and product groups license fonts, we create custom fonts for devices, and work with the marketing team on our corporate branding fonts, as well as maintain, update and commission new fonts for inclusion with Windows. Within Windows we partner closely with the globalization team on complex-script "shaping engines" and the Windows graphics team on font rendering, but as we're part of the Core Experience Team we get to work with the UX Designers on the way fonts are actually used in the product.

What surprised you about working at Microsoft?

I'm sure something must have surprised me in 1995, but I don't recall what.

What was your first computer?

A Sinclair ZX81 purchased when I was ten years old.

If you were graduating right now, what technologies and industries would you be drawn to?

I think I would gravitate towards typography and design, probably UX design.

Who are some of your favorite people to follow on Twitter?

I tend to follow subjects rather than people on Twitter, usually around type related technologies, and fonts.

What are some of your favorite sites to read?

I'm active on the Typophile forum, and read a variety of typography and gadget blogs. Engadget and Gizmodo are great for following UI font trends. I love to identify fonts used on other companies devices, and occasionally spot the unlicensed use of our fonts on devices. 

How has typography changed over the last decade?

If you look at print and advertising typography not a huge amount has visually changed since 2001. You do see different typefaces fall in and out of style, and it's certainly much easier to do good micro typography thanks to OpenType. You no longer have to fiddle with PostScript Type 1 "expert sets". You could argue that InDesign plus OpenType has had a greater positive effect on typography than Mac, PostScript, PageMaker and the LaserWriter did ten years earlier. 

On-screen type has changed drastically. Over the past ten years we've moved from jagged aliased text rendering on Mac OS and Windows to sub-pixel ClearType and similar technologies. Online we've moved from a small set of web safe fonts to CSS web fonts supported across almost all platforms, opening up creative opportunities to web designers and a whole new market to font foundries.  

The mobile phone space has seen the biggest change, from clunky bitmap fonts on coarse screens, to beautiful type on small high res screens that put the typical tablet, desktop and laptop screens to shame.

What are some recent technologies that designers should be fluent with?

Although Internet Explorer supported CSS Web fonts back in 1998, the technology has really taken off over the past two years. So although that's not a new technology, designers do need to be aware of it. It brings a lot of new opportunities as well as new challenges to the web typography space. Following hot on the heels of web fonts is CSS OpenType support, which gives Web designers access to typographic font features that previously could only be accessed in high end apps like  InDesign. This is a big deal, and it's not just for the Web, CSS will bring this level of typographic support to ebooks, as well as apps, so I think every designer needs to be aware of it.

What's the most important thing the average person doesn't know about typography?

Probably that typefaces are made by real people, and that it takes them a really long time to make a good font. I think there's a perception amongst the average person that fonts just exist and if there is any human involvement in font production that its minimal.

Recently we announced a joint agreement for a reworked version of Verdana and Georgia, what did we hope to accomplish these new fonts?

The development agreement was put in place a few years ago between Microsoft and Ascender Corp (who were acquired by Monotype last year), and some preliminary details were announced around the same time as IKEA started using Verdana in their catalogs. Back in 2008 we could see that the era of web safe fonts was coming to an end. There was renewed traction behind CSS web fonts, and evolving rendering environments meant that you could differentiate a wider range of styles and weights on screen at small sizes. We had also put our efforts into the ClearType Collection fonts, and hadn't invested in Verdana and Georgia for some time. Despite this, Verdana and Georgia were very well known, and had a great following. So rather than let these fonts decline and die out we set up an agreement that allowed Ascender to partner with Matthew Carter and the Font Bureau to expand the families to ensure they remained viable well into the future.

With the recent advent of higher DPI screens, is there still a need for ClearType?

Within Microsoft its generally accepted that at 300ppi ClearType's advantages are not perceptible. Windows Phone made the decision to use grayscale, not ClearType for Windows Phone 7, and their chassis spec called for a resolution of 260ppi.  But on most desktops, tablets and laptops we still have a long way to go. Having said that the Windows graphics team is working on rendering technologies that improve grayscale rendering, with a view to getting better rendering performance and acceptable results on a range of devices.

Although when the principles of ClearType are explained you'd think that it's a pretty fragile rendering technology, but that's not really the case. Most people report that ClearType text looks better than grayscale text on CRTs and rotated displays even when the ClearType rendering doesn't take this into account. But grayscale does have some advantages, it produces the exact same pixel patterns under rotation, and doesn't require the same level of end-user tuning. The ClearType tuner really helps those who are color sensitive and those with uncorrected vision. As mentioned earlier you really need high DPI displays to make grayscale readable, but if you don't have that then picking the right font, with the right level of "hinting" and displaying at an appropriate size is critical.

Can you give a few tips for people who are not font-savvy? [i.e. What should I use in email, or on a resume?]

The Office themes and template fonts are generally good choices, but bear in mind they were picked in part because they have large character sets, minimizing the need for the templates and themes to be localized.

In email the recipient may not have the same font you pick on their machine so you probably want to stick with the web safe fonts. Font embedding/web fonts haven't made it to email yet. Verdana and Georgia are good picks, as are the ClearType Collection fonts, Cambria, Candara, Corbel and Constantia, if you're bored with the Outlook default of Calibri.

Are there any sites or books you would suggest for those who are not font-savvy?

I have to recommend The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst, it's the bible of typography. Also I'm always pulling Stop Stealing Sheep by Erik Spiekermann and E.M Ginger to explain typography related stuff to feature teams. 

What font/size do you prefer to read in for long-form text?

On screen I still prefer Georgia, but Cambria and Calibri hold up pretty well.

What is the latest on Microsoft's Adaptive Layout work?

There are still feature teams working in this area, but I think most of the effort has moved to the Web.

In your opinion should newspapers and publishers use the same font online that they use in print for consistency, or are the mediums so different to discourage it?

There's definitely convergence, but licensing issues aside you really need a web-specific version of your reading font, optimized for the screen. Fortunately The Font Bureau, who specializes in newspaper fonts, have embraced the web, and understand the value of hinting.

What are your thoughts on Comic Sans?

It's not a font I would use in an email, a spec, or in business communication. It's also very easy for design students and amateur font spotters to identify. It's also clear, given the historical record that for the first few years of availability it didn't garner much if any criticism. In fact I recall being contacted by a large Hollywood digital animation studio looking to license the font on the express instructions of their senior leader. So my feeling is that a combination of misuse, overuse and it being an easy target has led to it attracting negative attention of a minority of users. It's only a font. People should get over it.  I do feel that some of the personal attacks of Vincent Connare go too far. (Fonts are one of the few Microsoft product components that have the individual creators name included in the code and exposed in our UI. Contrast this with the anonymous author of the bubbles screen saver or the Windows 7 firefly animation. Maybe we shouldn't put MS employees names on the fonts they produce in-house?)  

Generally when you think of fonts, the average person doesn't look at them as a way to solve problems. Tell me about Ecofont and Dyslexie.

Pretty much all the font work my team does is of the problem-solving variety, that may be finding the perfect chop suey font for an Xbox game, through to making sure a complex character is readable when only 12 pixels high. So when stories like the ecofont (an ink saving font) and Dyslexie (a font to help dyslexic readers) get mainstream media attention that's generally a good thing, although there are a thousand more interesting font related stories that don't get any publicity.

The makers of ecofont added holes to an existing sans serif font to reduce the amount of ink used when text set in the font is printed. Printer ink is expensive and the font received a huge amount of publicity despite there being easier ways to save ink, such as using a draft printing mode, making the text smaller, using a serif font, or even editing the text. Beyond these obvious alternatives the history of typography is full of innovative solutions to saving paper, everything from fonts designed for small print Bibles through to newspaper classified ad fonts, and more recently the work Microsoft and others have done to improve reading on the screen, minimizing the need to print. The document that's never printed saves the most paper and ink.

Dyslexie is the third or fourth font we're aware of that tries to help dyslexic readers by making easily confusable characters like "b" and "d" more distinct. However, since the 1970's it's been accepted that dyslexia is a phonological deficit, not a visual problem. In addition although the font's creator did test the new font against Arial, an analysis of the test results doesn't reveal a statistically significant difference between Dyslexie and Arial.

Special Note:

From the crew of Silverlight TV and Channel 9, we want to extend a special thank you to all of our viewers. With your support we recently surpassed 4 million views of Silverlight TV! We've learned a lot, and with BUILD just around the corner, it's time to refocus the show a bit. Silverlight TV is taking a late summer hiatus... stay tuned for BUILD, where you'll see what's next.

Relevant links:

• John's blog and on Twitter (@john_papa)
• Corrina on Twitter (@corrinab)

Follow us on Twitter @SilverlightTV or on the web at http://silverlight.tv

• Importing photos and using them as a stencil for icons
• Creating a good splash screen that meshes with your app
• Simple gradient color solutions

Relevant links:

• John's blog and on Twitter (@john_papa)
• Susan's blog and on Twitter (@susantoddux)
• Corrina on Twitter (@corrinab)
• Arturo's blog and on Twitter (@arturot)
• Tsitsi's blog and on Twitter (@tsitsigora)

Follow us on Twitter @SilverlightTV or on the web at http://silverlight.tv

Thankfully, I got to attend ICSE 2011 and, even better, got to record a bunch of Expert to Expert episodes that feature the great Wolfram Schulte leading the conversations with specialists in various areas of computer science and engineering. What a treat! Thank you, Wolfram.

Kumiyo Nakakoji, Director at Key Technology Laboratory, Software Research Associates Inc., Japan, received B.S. in computer science from Osaka University, Japan, in 1986, and M.S. in 1990 and Ph.D. in 1993, both in computer science from University of Colorado, Boulder, certified in Institute of Cognitive Science. She has been spending her research career both in industry and academia. She has served as chairs, editors, and members for numerous research committees, journals, conferences, and government funding agencies, in the fields of Human-Computer Interaction, Software Engineering, and Design and Creative Knowledge Work Support. She was awarded Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award from College of Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, in 2006.

Dr. Nakakoji gave the Day 1 keynote at ICSE 2011, "Interactivity, Continuity, Sketching & Experience". The topic was design, both designing software(the world of making) and user-centric software design(the world of using). Often, these two worlds collide rather than work in unison - you have design professionals painting pictures and building out a user-centric experience and then you have software engineers who design and implement the software systems and algorithms that realize and drive the overall user experience of the software. The best case scenario is one where designers and implementors/engineers work in tandem throughout the development lifecycle. Let's find out from Dr. Nakakoji why this is the case.

Presentation

Plexipixel executive director Matt Tamaru, designer Amber Franz, and senior developer David Seelig talk with ISV Architect Evangelist Bruce Kyle.

The team describes how designers and developers work together, understanding the underlying XAML, and create an interactive experience for users.

“One of the requirements for this project was to use vector graphics instead of images,” Seelig said. “Since some of the fancier drop-shadow and blur effects aren’t available on Windows Phone, we created these by hand in XAML and Blend.”

“It was a huge learning experience for me, and super fun to work on,” says Franz.

About Plexipixel

Plexipixel is a full-service digital agency that helps companies strategize, conceptualize, execute, maintain, and measure their digital marketing efforts.  Plexipixel uses do “Sticky Brand Play”™, their 360-degree collaborative
design and development process.  Plexipixel is a Silverlight Partner, 2009 Microsoft Vendor Excellence Award Finalist, Facebook Preferred Developer Consultant, and Blend TAP Participant.  

See also Plexipixel Creates HTML 5 Animations Online with Okapi.

For Assistance in Building Your Windows Phone Applications

Join Microsoft Platform Ready.

Other ISV Videos

For videos on developing for Windows Phone 7, see:

• Teenager Makes Money Writing Windows Phone 7 Apps with AdCenter
• Talking  with Karmak.com about business applications on Windows Phone 7
• BinaryDads talk about building applications for Windows Phone 7
• Credit Card Processing for Windows Phone 7 on Windows Azure

For videos on Windows Azure Platform, see:

• Azure Email-Enables Lists, Low-Cost Storage for SharePoint
• Credit Card Processing for Windows Phone 7 on Windows Azure
• Crowd-Sourcing Public Sector App for Windows Phone, Azure
• Food Buster Game Achieves Scalability with Windows Azure
• BI Solutions Join On-Premises To Windows Azure Using Star Analytics Command Center
• StorSimple Integrates On-Premises, Cloud Storage with Windows Azure
• NewsGator Moves 3 Million Blog Posts Per Day on Azure

For other videos about independent software vendors (ISVs):

• Quark Extends SharePoint for Dynamic Publishing
• ProModel Adds Simulation, Visualization to Microsoft Project
• Slingbox Maker Sling Media Describes Cross-Platform Commitment to Silverlight

For more news, tips, and links to developer training, see the US ISV Community blog.

Bill Moggridge developed the Grid Compass computer in 1979, taking a further three years to get the product to market. It’s black clamshell case protected an Intel 8086 processor, a 320 x 240 electroluminescent display, 340KB of memory and a 1,200 bit/s modem – a crazy-high specification for the era, which explained its $8-10,000 ticket price. Like many of the computers of the early 80s, the Compass ran its own operating system, Grid OS.

According to Wikipedia, the US government were one of the Grid Compass’ major customers, and 1985, the computer was launched into the stratosphere on the Space Shuttle Discovery.

Whilst Grid Systems Corp was acquired by Tandy Corporation in 1988, Moggridge wasn’t finished and went on to found design-shop IDEO, developing products for a vast array of companies including Microsoft’s second mouse, the Palm V PDA and a host of household products lining the shelves of your local mega-mart.

When not receiving awards, Moggridge is director of the Smithsonian Institution's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York. Past winners of the Prince Philip Designers Prize include Sir James Dyson (you may have heard of his vacuum cleaners), designer Terence Conran and architect Lord Norman Foster. I’m sure even they rely today on mobile PCs that were created from Bill Moggridge's vision over 30 years ago.

Windows Phone 7 Design Principles

Windows Phone 7 brings a radically new approach to user interface to the phone. In this session we’ll discuss how you can utilize this approach in your application design, enabling the delivery of powerful user experiences that integrate tightly with the overall look and feel of “Metro,” the codename for the Windows Phone design system.

Speakers: Kat Holmes and Karen Davis

Recording from REMIX10 in Belgium:

Design venturing Design techniques for identifying, developing and evaluating business opportunities.

This session will cover several case studies and best practices from the Microsoft Pioneer Studios, a design venture team that is chartered with developing new consumer businesses for Microsoft. Learn how to harvest insights, translate them into value propositions and build products around core brand ideas. Examples include ventures in emerging markets and mobile devices.

Speaker: Georg Petschnigg

In his past life, Nishant worked at Amazon.com on products like Unbox and Kindle, collaborated with top-notch design agencies, taught courses at Purdue University, and wrote a book or two.

Nishant lives in Kirkland, WA with his wife, two cats, and notorious Weimaraner, Yoshi. In his free time you can find him playing the guitar, reading, flicking through RSS feeds on his phone, or indulging trashy television viewing habits.

About Tim

Tim Huckaby is the Founder of InterKnowlogy, experts in Microsoft .NET and Microsoft Platforms, and has 25+ years experience including serving on a Microsoft product team as a development lead on an architecture team. Tim is a Microsoft Regional Director, an MVP and serves on multiple Microsoft councils and boards. Currently, Tim is focused on RIA & Rich Client Technologies like WPF, VSTO, Surface, Silverlight, Windows 7 Touch, and Windows Phone 7. He has been called a "Pioneer of the Smart Client Revolution" by the press. Tim has been awarded multiple times for the highest-rated keynote for Microsoft and numerous other technology conferences around the world and is consistently rated in the top 10% of all speakers at these events. Tim has also done keynote demos for numerous Microsoft executives including Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer.

Stuff Nishant and Tim recommend you check out

• Nishant's blog
• Follow Nishant on Facebook & Twitter
• MIX conference site
• MIX videos
• MIX Online
• Download Silverlight 4
• Silverlight 4 - A guide to the new features
• Silverlight 4 - "How Do I?" videos
• Web PI Download
• Learn to create Silverlight applications using Expression Studio with .toolbox
• Check out the Expression community site

Click here for the Win7 API Code Pack

About Bill

Bill Buxton is a relentless advocate for innovation, design, and—especially—the appropriate consideration of human values, capacity, and culture in the conception, implementation, and use of new products and technologies. This is reflected in his research, teaching, talks, and writing—including his column on design and innovation for BusinessWeek.com, and his 2007 book, Sketching User Experiences.

In December 2005, he was appointed Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research. Prior to that, he was Principal of his own Toronto-based boutique design and consulting firm, Buxton Design.

Buxton began his career as a composer and performer, having done a Bachelor of Music degree at Queen's University. He then studied and taught for two years at the Institute of Sonology, Utrecht, Holland.

Outside of work, Buxton loves the outdoors. He is especially passionate about mountains, including skiing, climbing, and touring, both in summer and winter. In addition, he is an avid cyclist, and active in kayaking, SCUBA diving, windsurfing, and an accomplished equestrian. Finally, he has a life-long fascination with both art and his wife, Elizabeth—who owns and operates a contemporary art gallery, Gallery 888, in Toronto, Canada.

Stuff Bill recommends you check out

• Bill Buxton's site
• Take a look at what Microsoft Research is working on
• Windows 7 Training Kit Download
• Windows 7 Download
• Windows 7 API Code Pack Download
• Windows 7 SDK Download
• Surface Development Tools

• Jet Pack
• Cosmopolitan
• Windows 7
• AccentColor

She also takes a deep look at the cosmopolitan theme and shows how you can customize it, if need be. Tsitsi wraps up by demonstrating some tips you can use to maintain design consistency in your application, including how to apply a simple behavior to your TextBox and content presenters. Tsitsi drops a ton of great design tips throughout this episode—you don't want to miss it.

Relevant links:

• John's blog and on Twitter (@john_papa)

• Tsitsi's blog post

Follow us on Twitter @SilverlightTV or on the web at http://silverlight.tv 

 

Are you developing with Windows Phone 7? You can pre-order Learning Windows Phone Programming, by Jaime Rodriguez, Yochay Kiriaty, and John Papa, today! Or, check out the book's web site.

Relevant links:

• John's Blog and on Twitter (@john_papa)
• Arturo on Twitter (@arturot)
• Get Expression Blend 4 RC trial
• .toolbox web site

Follow us on Twitter @SilverlightTV or on the web at http://silverlight.tv/

• New interactive design surface
• Working with Styles and Resources
• Go To Value Definition lets you directly locate nested styles
• Using the new "Data Can" to pinpoint data hookups
• Moving stuff around in complex Grid panels using the new right click "goodies" 

You can learn more about the new features from the Cider Designer blog, too.

Relevant links:

• John's Blog and on Twitter (@john_papa)
• Mark on Twitter (@MarkPavWT)
• Cider Discussion Forums 
• WCF RIA Services v1.0 Launch

Follow us on Twitter @SilverlightTV or on the web at http://silverlight.tv/