The "This Might Be A Stupid Question, But...." Thread

[Iris]

A post I made on another thread received two interesting responses. 

My post was about dressing in accord with your 'season'.  The only time I ever heard about this was when MIL brought it up. 

Does anyone have more information or references for this idea?  I don't intend to dress in accordance with this but I'm curious.

I know there are certain colours that are supposed to be worn in certain seasons, although I don't subscribe to it myself. Purples, oranges and similar are for autumn, pastels for summer, jewel tones and dark colours for winter etc etc. Note that I am not talking about the colour matching thing where people say "You're a spring, you should wear dark puce and vomit green at all times" it's a general rule that it's 'wrong' to wear, say, charcoal grey in summer.

I didn't think anyone in the world outside of a magazine actually believed that until I put on a dark purple scarf in spring and a friend said "That's more of an autumn scarf, isn't it?"   

I probably would have said, "It's for when it's cold...so right now it's a spring scarf," with a deep look of confusion.  I don't do this "fashion" stuff.

I think I managed the deep look of confusion, but speech was really beyond me in that moment. I may have managed to flap my mouth open and closed a couple of times...

[Softly Spoken]

A post I made on another thread received two interesting responses. 

My post was about dressing in accord with your 'season'.  The only time I ever heard about this was when MIL brought it up. 

Does anyone have more information or references for this idea?  I don't intend to dress in accordance with this but I'm curious.

It can get very complicated and it isn't a perfect system but just Google "seasonal color analysis". This was one (of MANY sites about it) that I bookmarked because she had a lot of other good advice: http://www.thechicfashionista.com/your-best-perfect-colors.html

Apparently it was trendy at one point then went out - now it seems to be in again (or never really left?)...it makes some good basic sense as far as what colors compliment your skin/hair/eyes. We all instinctively know that certain colors make us look "washed out" or make our eyes pop - having your colors professionally done just takes it to another level.

I think there is some confusion (because the fashion worlds tells us) that certain colors should only be worn during certain seasons - like burgundy is a "fall" color and pastel pink is a "spring." I think the season in this case refers to the individual (skin/hair/eyes), not her clothes - so the person is a winter, not that she is wearing winter colors (if that makes sense). The point is that you have the same skin/hair/eye tones year round so you should know what colors compliment them and shop accordingly. I think the link I gave breaks it down into more than just four seasons. It is really interesting but not gospel - if they say you "should" wear a certain color that you hate obviously you don't have to. But I know there are colors that make my skin look horrible and I wouldn't wear even if they were my favorite color - ironically they are my least favorite (bright red). So maybe there is something to it...

[Kaora]

Why is there a deodorant brand called Old Spice?  Doesn't spice lose its potency over time, so old spice would be like... eck?

[Ereine]

Do people genuinely get bent out of shape by other people's choice of font, or s it an internet joke I'm not getting?

Not "bent out of shape" precisely, but people who deal with fonts for a living gripe about font choices the way writers gripe about "50 Shades of Grey" or beer enthusiasts gripe about people who think they know a lot about beer but then rave about Bud Light.  There really are better and worse fonts for particular situations, but it's not always obvious to a layperson.

I deal with fonts for living and while there are fonts that are better suited for certain situations (the use of Copperplate in the most recent Bond movie was a bit baffling) the whole "Comic Sans was invented by the Anti-Christ" thing mostly seems like snobbery to me, in the style of beer snobs who can't let others enjoy their Bud Light. You probably shouldn't use Comic Sans on a grave stone but they seem more interested in just griping than from saving the world from it.

[Diane AKA Traska]

Do people genuinely get bent out of shape by other people's choice of font, or s it an internet joke I'm not getting?

Not "bent out of shape" precisely, but people who deal with fonts for a living gripe about font choices the way writers gripe about "50 Shades of Grey" or beer enthusiasts gripe about people who think they know a lot about beer but then rave about Bud Light.  There really are better and worse fonts for particular situations, but it's not always obvious to a layperson.

I deal with fonts for living and while there are fonts that are better suited for certain situations (the use of Copperplate in the most recent Bond movie was a bit baffling) the whole "Comic Sans was invented by the Anti-Christ" thing mostly seems like snobbery to me, in the style of beer snobs who can't let others enjoy their Bud Light. You probably shouldn't use Comic Sans on a grave stone but they seem more interested in just griping than from saving the world from it.

Honestly?  It looks amateurish to me.  I get this "in crayon with a reversed R" vibe from it.  Others may not agree... I also don't like yellow cars, some people seem to think sports cars belong in yellow.

[sourwolf]

Do people genuinely get bent out of shape by other people's choice of font, or s it an internet joke I'm not getting?

Not "bent out of shape" precisely, but people who deal with fonts for a living gripe about font choices the way writers gripe about "50 Shades of Grey" or beer enthusiasts gripe about people who think they know a lot about beer but then rave about Bud Light.  There really are better and worse fonts for particular situations, but it's not always obvious to a layperson.

I deal with fonts for living and while there are fonts that are better suited for certain situations (the use of Copperplate in the most recent Bond movie was a bit baffling) the whole "Comic Sans was invented by the Anti-Christ" thing mostly seems like snobbery to me, in the style of beer snobs who can't let others enjoy their Bud Light. You probably shouldn't use Comic Sans on a grave stone but they seem more interested in just griping than from saving the world from it.

Honestly?  It looks amateurish to me.  I get this "in crayon with a reversed R" vibe from it.  Others may not agree... I also don't like yellow cars, some people seem to think sports cars belong in yellow.

I love comic sans and don't care what anyone else thinks.  I mean really, why should they care.

[marcel]

Is there a washable pad that can be used in the kitchen?  I have a renter that drinks coffee.  In an effort to be very thoughtful he places a paper towel under his coffee mugs that he keeps next to his coffee maker to catch spills so they won't stain my 1970 white with gold flecks laminate countertop.  I'm looking for something that would replace the paper towels he uses to eliminate the waste of paper, that's dishwasher safe and that's half the size of a cutting board.  Anybody know of any such thing?

How about a saucer?  That's what they are for!

That's what i was thinking when I read it. This problem has been solved ages ago already.

[Ereine]

Do people genuinely get bent out of shape by other people's choice of font, or s it an internet joke I'm not getting?

Not "bent out of shape" precisely, but people who deal with fonts for a living gripe about font choices the way writers gripe about "50 Shades of Grey" or beer enthusiasts gripe about people who think they know a lot about beer but then rave about Bud Light.  There really are better and worse fonts for particular situations, but it's not always obvious to a layperson.

I deal with fonts for living and while there are fonts that are better suited for certain situations (the use of Copperplate in the most recent Bond movie was a bit baffling) the whole "Comic Sans was invented by the Anti-Christ" thing mostly seems like snobbery to me, in the style of beer snobs who can't let others enjoy their Bud Light. You probably shouldn't use Comic Sans on a grave stone but they seem more interested in just griping than from saving the world from it.

Honestly?  It looks amateurish to me.  I get this "in crayon with a reversed R" vibe from it.  Others may not agree... I also don't like yellow cars, some people seem to think sports cars belong in yellow.

I'm not saying that Comic Sans is pretty or should be used as widely as it is (it does have a pretty interesting history and I find it fascinating that it works better with dyslexics than some more conventional fonts) but much of the reaction against it looks like pure snobbery. It won't make the people who use it stop but will make the complainers feel like they're better designers, so delicate that the mere existance of Comic Sans in this world offends them.

[Diane AKA Traska]

Do people genuinely get bent out of shape by other people's choice of font, or s it an internet joke I'm not getting?

Not "bent out of shape" precisely, but people who deal with fonts for a living gripe about font choices the way writers gripe about "50 Shades of Grey" or beer enthusiasts gripe about people who think they know a lot about beer but then rave about Bud Light.  There really are better and worse fonts for particular situations, but it's not always obvious to a layperson.

I deal with fonts for living and while there are fonts that are better suited for certain situations (the use of Copperplate in the most recent Bond movie was a bit baffling) the whole "Comic Sans was invented by the Anti-Christ" thing mostly seems like snobbery to me, in the style of beer snobs who can't let others enjoy their Bud Light. You probably shouldn't use Comic Sans on a grave stone but they seem more interested in just griping than from saving the world from it.

Honestly?  It looks amateurish to me.  I get this "in crayon with a reversed R" vibe from it.  Others may not agree... I also don't like yellow cars, some people seem to think sports cars belong in yellow.

I love comic sans and don't care what anyone else thinks.  I mean really, why should they care.

Like I said, it's how it looks to me.  Like overly ornate fonts can look self-important.  Everyone has preferences, it's silly to pretend we don't.  I'd never say to someone "hey, that font makes your website look like a '97 Geocities site", but I might think it.  Just like if it were black text on lime green.

[mechtilde]

In my previous position, there was a man in district management who wasn't anyone's direct boss, but woe betide anybody in the branches who emailed him using anything other than Arial 12 pt font.

He was a petty man.

In both my jobs, we have to use this font. It is one of the clearest to read, and presents fewest difficulties to those with visual or other issues. Other fonts may look nicer, but Arial is clearer. 12pt is the minimum size we can use.

[camlan]

In my previous position, there was a man in district management who wasn't anyone's direct boss, but woe betide anybody in the branches who emailed him using anything other than Arial 12 pt font.

He was a petty man.

In both my jobs, we have to use this font. It is one of the clearest to read, and presents fewest difficulties to those with visual or other issues. Other fonts may look nicer, but Arial is clearer. 12pt is the minimum size we can use.

Arial is a pretty generic font, but it has a lot of good qualities. It's easy to read, especially on a computer monitor, which used to be more important. Higher quality monitors have made it easier to read text on screen for longer periods of time, but in the days of lower resolution monitors, the font you chose made a difference.

For reading print on paper, a serif font is best. Serifs are the tiny, little lines on the ends of letters. Times New Roman is a good example of a serif font. See the little bars on all the ends of the "T"? Those are the serifs. They help move the eye from letter to letter.

A sans-serif font doesn't have those little bars on the ends of the letters. Arial, and Helvetica which is very similar, are sans-serif fonts. They are easier to read on a monitor, because back in the day of older monitors, the serifs didn't show up very well and reading a serif font was just harder because the screen resolution wasn't as good as it is today.

Comic Sans? Well, it's a sans-serif font, hence the "sans" in the name, and works well on-screen. It's a bit childish looking to me, but it has its place. It's an informal style of font, but it's been used in formal documents and the like and that is what strikes some designers as wrong. Great for a printout you are handing to kids, maybe not so much for a hard news website. I'd expect it on a flyer announcing my town's annual Fun Fair at the Children's Museum; I'd be a bit startled if I got a mailing from my insurance company done in Comic Sans.

[Slartibartfast]

[ladyknight1]

In my communications class, we were required to use a sans serif font for all presentations and documents. I tend to stick with that for work and education. My favorites are Century Gothic and Trebuchet. I use Arial for all spreadsheets, as it is easy to read in that format.

[sourwolf]

Do people genuinely get bent out of shape by other people's choice of font, or s it an internet joke I'm not getting?

Not "bent out of shape" precisely, but people who deal with fonts for a living gripe about font choices the way writers gripe about "50 Shades of Grey" or beer enthusiasts gripe about people who think they know a lot about beer but then rave about Bud Light.  There really are better and worse fonts for particular situations, but it's not always obvious to a layperson.

I deal with fonts for living and while there are fonts that are better suited for certain situations (the use of Copperplate in the most recent Bond movie was a bit baffling) the whole "Comic Sans was invented by the Anti-Christ" thing mostly seems like snobbery to me, in the style of beer snobs who can't let others enjoy their Bud Light. You probably shouldn't use Comic Sans on a grave stone but they seem more interested in just griping than from saving the world from it.

Honestly?  It looks amateurish to me.  I get this "in crayon with a reversed R" vibe from it.  Others may not agree... I also don't like yellow cars, some people seem to think sports cars belong in yellow.

I'm not saying that Comic Sans is pretty or should be used as widely as it is (it does have a pretty interesting history and I find it fascinating that it works better with dyslexics than some more conventional fonts) but much of the reaction against it looks like pure snobbery. It won't make the people who use it stop but will make the complainers feel like they're better designers, so delicate that the mere existance of Comic Sans in this world offends them.

Wow, I didn't know that. I'm mildly dyslexic and I wonder if that has something to do with the fact that I like Comic Sans so much.  I do find it very easy to read but I figured that was because the letters seem to be spaced out a bit more/slightly larger than say Times New Roman 12.

[Ms_Cellany]

I have a book from the early eighties called Color Me Beautiful and I identified myself as a winter using its guidelines.  I got such impressive results from it that I have continued to live by it ever since. 

I had the same book. I forget what "season" I was, but the book advised jewel tones on me, no pure white.  It works great!