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"I think Comic Sans always screams fun."

I have barely skimmed the surface of what I could possibly learn about the process of conducting a research study. There is so much to learn that I feel a little overwhelmed actually. Although I feel overwhelmed, I feel a bit more empowered to attempt to begin a research study. I now feel that I have more resources at my disposal, and I feel more confident in my ability to learn what else I might need to know as I move forward with my research projects.     While I definitely do not see myself becoming a professional researcher, a lot of what I have done in this class has made me more aware of the possibilities in my field. Additionally, I never knew I would be so obsessed with typeface before this class. Everything I have read in preparation for my research proposal has been absolutely fascinating to me, and I definitely did not see that coming.  In closing, I think that Comic Sans (and many other typefaces) gets a little bit of a bad rap. While, Comic Sans may be totall...
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"Sometimes I'll start a [research project], and I don't even know where it's going. I just hope I find it along the way."

 I wouldn't exactly say I have "revision" plans as much as I would like to say that I have plans to actually write the research design portion of my proposal. I am struggling to pin down exactly how to approach my research questions. I want to gather some quantitative data, but what I am most interested in is the qualitative data. I want answers to the "why" in why people perceive certain typefaces as adding or detracting from a text's credibility.  I didn't think that this was such a huge question until I sat down and actually started thinking about how to find the answer. In preparing my rough draft outline, I had a very vague idea of creating mock pages from a variety of news outlets, but I'm not certain that will be focused enough.  As I continue trying to build/decide on my research plan, I will be working on sizing down my literature review and shaping up the other portions of my proposal (those unrelated to my research methods). For now, I am ...
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"Yeah, people. Consistent font usage. Come on."

Once, while preparing for a conference presentation, I was advised not to use Helvetica or Times New Roman for my slides. No self-respecting academic would want to be seen in front of slides that used two of today’s most widely used fonts. But why? This piece of advice really stuck with me. Would I actually be looked down on as a lesser academic because I used a commonly used (not to mention, perfectly legible) font? Should not the consistency, reliability, and reputable functionality of a font like Helvetica  add  to my credibility?  Certainly, there are more factors than readability, professionalism, and clarity that go into a user’s assessment of ethos through typeface. Context, conditioning, and tacit criticism are possible answers to the “why?” Why shouldn’t I use Helvetica here, but I should use it there? Why does Helvetica hold the power to both improve and destabilize my document’s credibility?  The way we laypeople select fonts is typically based on some kin...
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"When you use a ridiculous font, no one thinks you have a plan."

Well, as it turns out, my love for comedy has led me to a study of fonts.  Go figure. I  haven't decided on my exact topic yet, but it will be somewhere in the realm of how typeface can establish (or diminish) credibility in the mind of the user/reader. I have found some good sources on perception of typefaces as well as the connotative meaning of  typeface, but I have yet to find anything on my exact interest of how a user/reader uses their perception of typeface in evaluating a text's credibility or trustworthiness.  I am also very intrigued by how typefaces play a role in everyday life. For example, I have learned (as many tech writing majors may have) that text presented in all caps is harder to process than text that is in upper-lower case. Yet, as I was driving to the driving range today (yeah, I golf, and those words weirdly matched up, but I'm going to let it stand), I noticed that ALL of the important signs were set in all caps. Why? I would l...
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"I Don't Even Have a 'Pl--.'"

As I sit here in front of my keyboard, having flashbacks to the paralyzing indecision I experienced during my senior capstone project, I'm trying to reassure myself that eventually I'll end up with an idea--I mean, it's happened before, right? Well, at this point, the panic is rising in the back of my mind and seeping into my dreams. I wake up from some horrible scene where I'm desperately trying to open a locked door, and I drowsily send a text to myself that reads, "rhetorical grammar - rules and when broken," or some other nonsense. Eventually, I fall back asleep, but I never manage to get that door open. Don't my dreams sound a little too on-the-nose?  So, what are my topic ideas? I would say I have more of a mess than a list. The random idea notes I have jotted down include: visual composition, rhetorical grammar, learning through stories, the methodological potential of digital composition (thank you Cheryl Ball), non-traditional students (thank you,...
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