CHAPTER 9 The Next Steps for Web Typography
text-size-adjust Property
Most modern browsers implemented a text inflation algorithm to fix the
mobile experience for websites that sport a fixed layout (D’oh!). We can opt
out from this behavior with the text-size-adjust property. However, if the
value is set to none, it will prevent zooming in^34 , so be extra cautious when
using it.body {
-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;
-moz-text-size-adjust: 100%;
-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;
text-size-adjust: 100%;
}Readers of the world
When designing for print, no matter how big the edition is, it’s still limited.
Designing for the Web means designing for everyone, everywhere and —
in theory — anytime in the future. Unlike with print editions, we cannot
plan and control the distribution of websites that we build. Designing
for an international audience means understanding there are significant
differences.
The work that goes into maintaining a multi-lingual website, such as
BBC World Service^35 is simply astonishing. Not only are there different
writing directions, but also cultural particularities too, such as the prohi-
bition on depictions of living beings for the purpose of worship in Islam.
Taking such factors into consideration certainly places even more empha-
sis on typography.Unlike cursive writing based on the Latin alphabet, the standard Arabic style
is to have a substantially different shape depending on whether it will be34 http://smashed.by/webkit-text-size
35 http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/languages/index.shtml