jtnt://life/unedited

Let's Get Small

I'm going to go out on a limb and say something that I assume the rest of the uber-hip (see, I used "uber" so I must be cool) web design world will find objectionable: I hate pixel fonts.

To be clear, I hate their usage. Of themselves, some of these fonts are cool. Like these. But the de rigeur (again, cool-proof) usage is to use them at such miniscule proportions that they are essentially useless. What's more, they are commonly used in sites as headers for content sections, navigation, etc. Arguably, the areas where readability counts most.

Indeed, the use of pixel fonts at lilliputian sizes is not just accepted and cool, but seemingly required. Wherever you see them used, you can barely see them used!

How did the use of these, and especially at such tiny proportions, become so universally smiled upon? The ultimate good bad example is the very popular k10k.net site. Can anyone read the headings on all the little content boxes on this site? And the navigation?

What gets me is that these fonts are lauded even by the same web designers at the fore of useability and so-called forward-thinking design? How can this be?

Yes, these fonts are much sharper at small pixel sizes than other fonts, but does this mean that you are required to use them at sub-atomic sizes? I can turn off anti-aliasing and make Arial Black somewhat more legible at 8 pixels and the whole design world would run screaming for the hills. That is, if they were listening in the first place. Why then is it acceptable to use these pixel fonts at such small sizes?

I'm not fond of posting questions without answers, but the unfortunate circumstance I find myself in forces me to do this. I am obviously on the out on this subject. If a site so popular and regarded as an example of good design on the web such as k10k uses them, and a man so highly worshipped as Zeldman pushes them, I must be missing something. Right?

So, would both of the people that read this site kindly offer their points of view on this and show me the light?