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Death to Icon Fonts

Death to Icon Fonts

My London Web Standards talk from 29th June 2015, where I cover some of the problems icon fonts pose for dyslexics

SerenD

June 29, 2015
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  1. Death to Icon Fonts
    @ninjanails!
    LWS, June 2015
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/minifig/3186925111/

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  3. 1 in 10 are Dyslexic

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  4. Flatulent clams

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  5. Flatulent clams

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  6. Flatulent clams
    Fraudulent claims

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  7. http://www.cafepress.co.uk/mf/94227980/keep-clam-and-stop-dyslexia_mugs

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  8. https://www.flickr.com/photos/jonathancohen/4084485753/

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  9. Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff
    Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll
    Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr
    Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx
    Yy Zz

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  10. bp

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  11. bp

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  12. Gill Sans rnm MW dpqb l1IijJ
    Verdana rnm MW dpqb l1IijJ
    OpenDyslexic rnm MW dpqb l1IijJ
    Times rnm MW dpqb l1IijJ
    Helvetica rnm MW dpqb l1IijJ

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  16. But all too often I see:

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  17. Let’s pick on GitHub…

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  18. Let’s pick on GitHub…

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  19. Let’s pick on GitHub…

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  21. https://www.flickr.com/photos/3059349393/3801594313/
    Some users may be hidden…

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  22. People have different needs!
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/oskay/265899766/

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  23. Screen Readers

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  24. Favourite
    How would a screen reader read…

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  25. Favourite
    “Favourite”

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  26. Favourite
    “Black Star Favourite” or
    “Star Favourite”

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  27. Favourite
    “Unpronounceable Favourite”

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  28. http://unicode.johnholtripley.co.uk

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  29. https://www.flickr.com/photos/nouqraz/308342941/
    Are we forgetting some people?

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  30. Opera Mini

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  31. “… We don’t download fonts;
    icons are what SVG is for.”!
    Bruce Lawson, Opera
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/zeldman/14064254462/

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  32. “This doesn’t just benefit Opera
    Mini users; many people with
    mild dyslexia have a special
    system font to aid legibility,
    which breaks icon fonts.”!
    Bruce Lawson, Opera
    https://dev.opera.com/articles/making-sites-work-opera-mini/

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  33. Opera Mini has 350M+ users
    (And then there’s Nokia Xpress, Blackberry 4 & 5,
    Android 2.1, Windows 7)

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  34. https://www.flickr.com/photos/subharnab/2721507697/
    And then there’s you…

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  35. https://goo.gl/EpsOu8

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  38. https://speakerdeck.com/zachleat/remodeling-at-font-face

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  39. Why do we use Icon
    Fonts?

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  40. Does everything a
    normal font can!

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  41. a
    a a
    ! ! !
    They’re scalable

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  42. a
    a a
    ! ! !
    They can be styled

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  43. https://www.flickr.com/photos/a_funk/3482647938/
    Reduces number of HTTP requests

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  44. https://www.flickr.com/photos/dajdavies/9479980440/in/photostream/
    Is there a better alternative?

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  45. https://www.google.com/design/icons/
    SVG

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  46. https://www.flickr.com/photos/anjan58/7272291392/
    Accessibility

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  47. height="200" aria-labelledby="title desc">!
    ! Green Triangle!
    ! A light green triangle with a dark green
    border.!
    ! !
    !

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  48. height="200" aria-labelledby="title desc">!
    ! Green Triangle!
    ! A light green triangle with a dark green
    border.!
    ! !
    !

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  49. https://www.filamentgroup.com/lab/grumpicon-workflow.html
    Scalable

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  50. Multi coloured!
    By Peepo (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

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  51. Can be animated
    http://codepen.io/kyleHenwood/full/Alayb/

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  55. Retina
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/benm_at/8857900520/

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  56. Right way of doing it

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  57. http://caniuse.com/#search=svg
    Supported in modern browsers

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  58. “Icon font perf in Chrome is ~5x SVG atm”!
    Addy Osmani, Google
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/see_also/15049247418/

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  59. Context!

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  60. Menu

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  61. Menu

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  63. Menu

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  65. Menu
    Menu

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  66. http://i2.cdnds.net/12/30/618x377/showbiz_opening_ceremony_4.jpg
    So why don’t we build it this way?

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  67. https://www.flickr.com/photos/kitty-kat/6049220331/

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  68. https://www.flickr.com/photos/kitty-kat/6049220331/

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  69. https://www.flickr.com/photos/kitty-kat/6049220331/

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  70. https://www.flickr.com/photos/kitty-kat/6049220331/

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  71. https://www.flickr.com/photos/kitty-kat/6049220331/

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  72. @ninjanails
    serendavies.me
    ninjanails.com
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/jenosaur/4051305996/

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