Typekit, @font-face & This Site

typekitSince launching and outlining the process for the latest version of this site, I’ve had a bit of a type adventure going on.  After fielding a variety of questions on the subject, I thought it’d be helpful to outline what I’m learning here.

  • When the site launched, I had Typekit serving up only the regular version of FF Meta Serif Web Pro to the web, iPhone and iPad versions.  Knowing that multiple styles and weights being pulled from the same font via Typekit could crash Mobile Safari, I opted for a single font file to rule them all.
  • After seeing Stephen Coles’ comment about faux italics I did a little more peeking around.  Taking into account mobile load times, the inability to apply styles through CSS in Mobile Safari and how great the real italic version of FF Meta Serif looks, I changed my plan and switched both iPhone and iPad support OFF to let the stacked Georgia render instead.  I really like this solution, and while I haven’t made up my mind on what to do about an iPhone version for this site, I’m satisfied with where it lies.
  • Yesterday, Typekit announced that iPhone iOS4 includes a fix for the multiple weights/styles crashing issue.  I switched iPhone support ON in my kit editor and was glad to see that the fonts were loading perfectly.  Ultimately, I decided to switch iPhone support back OFF and serve Georgia instead of FF Meta Serif.  In this case, I think the speed for Wi-Fi-less users is essential.  However, when iPad gets the updated iOS4 I’ll revisit my game-plan and consider enabling in that case.

I’d also like to state my support for Typekit.  They’re doing a lot of good work on multiple fronts: customer & tech support, working with foundries to make more fonts available and participating in the greater discussion on how browsers should handle them once we can serve ‘em up.  Any inquiries or questions I’ve had have been fielded quickly and I think that paying for any  service like this doesn’t just get you fonts easily, it endorses the web-font movement and supports progress.  It’s messy work, and I’m glad it’s being done.