Designers: please spent just a few extra minutes making sure your rounded corners are done right. Examples of negligence are easiest to spot when a rounded-corner shape is inset inside another rounded-corner shape.

If the corner radius is the same for both shapes, you’ll have problems. If Square A sits inside of Square B and is smaller than Square B, the corner radius for Square A also has to be smaller. See the examples below:

Its entirely possible that there’s a Mr. Wizard math formula that will help you figure out how to adjust the corner radius depending on the change in size of the shape, but I’m not smart enough to figure that out. This doesn’t have to be rocket science, though.

A designer’s keen eye is often enough to prevent the problem. Spending just a couple of extra minutes paying attention to the details will make the world a better place, don’t you think?

Sure, there are lists out there decrying the use of Comic Sans and Papyrus. That goes without saying by now, right? This isn’t that type of list. This is a list of fonts that are otherwise perfectly acceptable by most designers. In fact, most people who read this list will think I’m crazy or just don’t know anything about typography.

I’m not advocating that these fonts be completely uninstalled from all computers. Non-designers should feel free to mess around and use these fonts if they like. But designers can do better. Without further ado, let the countdown begin:

5. Futura

Ok, everyone can stop yelling at me now. Let me explain. Yes, I can’t stand Futura. Sure, it looks great in diagrams and charts from old biology books from the 60s. But it is old and tired. There are much better choices for us now.

Recommended alternatives: Helvetica, Myriad, Frutiger

4. Trajan

This typeface should be reserved only for use in epic blockbuster movie titling. Maybe the reason I don’t like Trajan is because I also hate the use of small caps. Again, there are simply better choices out there.

Recommended alternatives: Garamond, Goudy

3. Avant Garde

Another tired font that perhaps was once a great choice, but is now tired and over-used. According to Wikipedia, the term avant garde is French and “refers to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics.” That’s why we should stop using it. If we select this font, we’re going out of our way to be perceived as “innovative”. Let’s put an end to that nonsense.

Recommended alternatives: Helvetica, Gothan, Din, anything else really

2. Lobster

We can all thank the Google Font Directory for this one. This font just screams “cliche” to me — in a really loud and annoying voice. Perhaps if you are making a logo for a restaurant, that may be the only acceptable use. I don’t know, if you have a business that actually does involve lobsters, then maybe you can get away with this, but otherwise steer clear.

Recommended alternatives: Fan Script, Candy Script, Bello

1. Gill Sans

This is most likely the worst of the bunch. The only problem is I don’t really have a good reason for disliking this font. But I just can’t stand it. I have uninstalled it from my computer due to its offensiveness. Doing a Google search just now to look at some examples just makes me angry. Its so wrong in so many ways, I can’t even begin to describe what I don’t like about it. Typography kryptonite for sure.

Recommended alternatives: Helvetica, Gotham, Trebuchet, Museo, Facit, Din … heck, even Arial is better!

If you’re a designer on the fence trying to decide between Fireworks or Photoshop, perhaps some of these interviews could help you decide. Or, if you’d just like to be inspired by some other Fireworks users, this is a nice resource.

Either way, check it out and while you’re there you can read my answers regarding some favorite Fireworks features, how I use it and my thoughts on Fireworks vs. Photoshop.

The seven principles his father gave him that day would later be known as John Wooden’s 7-Point Creed, which has been used in leadership training around the world.

John Wooden’s 7-Point Creed

1. Be true to yourself.
2. Make friendship a fine art.
3. Make each day your masterpiece.
4. Build shelter against a rainy day.
5. Help others.
6. Drink deeply from good books.
7. Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.

What a great legacy to leave for your children! These principles are certainly full of wisdom and good advice for all of us. Wooden’s father clearly demonstrated that one person can truly effect the lives of many. I often think to myself what kind of legacy I am leaving for my kids. What will they remember most about me after I’m gone? How will my role as their dad impact their life and the lives of others?

So what would I say to my kids that could be as impactful? Most probably, it wouldn’t be anything I say at all; they watch the things I do — my attitude and actions — and use that as a kind of standard. Hearing the story of John Wooden’s father giving him that piece of paper reminded me that being a dad is the most important job I have. Much more important than being a UX Designer.

Thanks, Mr. Wooden!

Why Minnesota?

For several years now, we’ve been wanting to move out of Texas. Somewhere closer to family, maybe. Or maybe a place with lots of trees. Or maybe to a place with mountains – or the beach. Actually, we weren’t sure where we wanted to go, but we’ve kept an open mind. We never really targeted Minnesota, but when the opportunity at The Nerdery came along, we took a long hard look at Minnesota and the more we thought about it, the more appealing it became. Yes, I know its cold there. Its cold in a lot of places. I have family in the area (I lived in Minnesota during my elementary school years before we moved to Texas) so its not a completely foreign place — to me, at least. In addition to being close to some family members, we are looking forward to lots of outdoor activities like hiking, camping, tubing, skiing and generally a slower pace of life. And yes, snow.

The Nerdery

Working at a place with outstanding company culture is huge for me. That was one of the “must have” items on my list and The Nerdery definitely embodies that. This is from the The Nerdery Profile Page on LinkedIn:

Based on staff surveys of nearly 200 web pros who blur the line between work and play, The Nerdery ranked #1 on Mpls-St. Paul Business Journal’s 2010 Best Places to Work list. A popularity contest? You bet. We’re also #6 on Minneapolis Star Tribune’s 2010 Top Workplace list. Founded by three programmers in 2003, The Nerdery has made the Inc 5000 and Biz Journal’s Fast 50 list of fast-growing privately owned companies for the past three years. The Nerdery was honored in 2010 with The Quality of Life Award and The Jefferson Award for corporate philanthropy/nerdy-deeds-done-dirt-cheap through our Nerdery Overnight Website Challenge, at which volunteers have donated a million dollars worth of web development services to 39 nonprofits.

I’ll be working as a UX Designer on the User Experience Team. I’m really looking forward to joining a talented band of professionals and working on exciting web projects and expanding my skills on projects like mobile and social media applications.

These are some pretty big changes, but we, as a family, are excited about the opportunities to grow, learn and experience new things. If you have any tips for living in arctic climates or any suggestions for exploring the greater Minneapolis-St.Paul metropolitan area, please do share.

At that time, I was really at a crossroads in my career. I had been doing web design for more than a year, but I was doing it all wrong. I was using FrontPage to create table-based layouts, CSS was still a mystery and I knew nothing of Web Standards. I thought that Flash-based web sites were great, but had no ability or desire to learn the ActionScript to create that “wow” factor in Flash. I was seriously wondering if I should drop web design and go a different direction in my career.

At that conference, I soaked in every word and returned home with a passion and excitement about HTML, CSS and Web Standards. I was convinced that this method of building web sites was something I could not only do, but love doing.

I know Blue Beanie Day is not a tribute to Jeffrey Zeldman. Its a day to recognize the importance and impact of Web Standards on our industry. But for me personally, its a day to tip my hat beanie to Mr. Z and say “thanks”. I wouldn’t be where I am today without his influence.

In the Galaxy

In the galaxy, spaceships fly
Traveling from planet to planet
Carrying passengers of all types
Wookies, Uganaughts, Gungans and more

 

Traveling from planet to planet
Circling around, and coming again
Wookies, Uganaughts, Gungans and more
Landing, flying and taking off

 

Circling around, and coming again
Cruisers, star fighters, and royal ships
Landing, flying and taking off
For business, vacation or Jedi missions

 

Cruisers, star fighters, and royal ships
Carrying passengers of all types
For business, vacation or jedi missions
In the galaxy, spaceships fly

 

— Gavin Mallott, age 11

Pretty dang awesome, huh?

In the slideshow below you’ll see sites we saw on the road to and from through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California as well as the fun stuff we did in San Diego. LaJolla Cove, Laguna Beach, The Zoo and Legoland highlighted our time in SoCal. Driving through Tonto National Forest in Arizona and seeing the Palo Duro Canyon in the panhandle of Texas on the trip back home was unforgettable.

San Diego is a beautiful place, but there’s no place like home.

In addition to some basics that go without saying — good pay, location, nice people to work with, etc. — there were some more specific and harder to find aspects that I desired.

1. Smaller is Better

For most of my career, I’ve worked for large corporations. Despite the advantages (or perceived advantages) of working for a big company, I think my personality, perspectives and long-term goals are better suited to a small team.

2. Hats

I think most people like to have some variety in their day-to-day work routines. I’d like to think that I can contribute to the success of a team in more ways that one. Not only do I enjoy designing what a website looks like, I also like to be involved in (and have definite opinions on) how a site is built and how a user should interact with it and even contribute to the goals and strategy of a site. So, wearing multiple hats besides just the design hat really appeals to me.

3. Ownership & Impact

I’ve always thought it would be fun and rewarding to have my own company. However, for numerous reasons, I don’t think I’m cut out for the reality of it. So in lieu of being a CEO, it would be great to work at a place (a small company lends itself better to this) where I can still have a direct impact on the goals, strategy and direction of the company and be responsible for a major portion of the business.

I am thankful that I have found a place that satisfies most, if not all, of the characteristics on my list and more. I’m excited to announce that on May 24th I’ll be joining the super talented team of designers and developers at Ascendio in Irving, Texas. Not familiar with Ascendio? Here’s a bit about them from the website:

Ascendio is an idea development studio. We are an energetic, friendly group with a knack for building long-term relationships with our clients. Our skills are in savvy design, tip-top programming, productive thinking and honest conversations. We believe in careful attention to detail, telling the truth and making the most of life.

This is a small group of smart people doing inspiring work for some really cool clients. I am humbled to be counted as one of them and I’m eager to wear all those different hats. I look forward to working with them, learning new things from them and hopefully sharing what I know to make the company even better.

I started working at Rosetta Stone on the web team in 2006. Since then, I’ve learned a lot about web development and I’ve learned a great deal about myself. The company produces an absolutely top-notch product and I’m sure they will continue to be successful. But for me, it is time to move on.

Some things I will miss about working at Rosetta Stone:

Working from home

This is the big one. For most of my tenure here, I’ve been fortunate enough to work from home every day. Its something for which I will always be thankful. I’ll miss listening in on conversations as my wife homechools the kids. I’ll miss the daily chats and occasional games with my wife over lunch each day. The opportunity to have the kids nearby and watch them grow and learn every day is something I will never forget. For this reason, I think one day we’ll look back on these last 4 years as some of the best years of our lives.

The people

I’ve had the chance to work with some interesting characters and some genuinely nice people. Shared food, shared laughs and even some shared adventures will be etched in my mind forever.

Unfortunately, that’s where the list stops. The rest, as they say, is history.

My last day will be May 19th and then I plan on taking a few relaxing days off before starting up again. I will follow up with a separate post later this week explaining the next step in my career.