your text is as small as one would want to go.

I would bump it up 2pts/2px for print/web

yeah, i agree i prefer the look of small text... but i think 12pt is about as small as you should go for print...

11 pt. is as low as you should go for at 300dpi. I have the same problem all the time - old folks reading my work. You have to meet ADA for your buildings, make your portfolio accessible too. Old folks are doing most of the hiring.

bring along the magnifying glass to the interview for the senior citizens and no worries

i've got 9 + 11 on my resume. the only one who has ever said anything has been my mom.

and i tend to gravitate towards younger firms.

e & rationalist might have some excellent opinions on the matter.

I disagree with the above. Your text is uniformly one point size larger than actually necessary, unless you are using a typeface with a very low x-height. Several typographers have opined that 9pt is the ideal text size, and it is generally accepted that captions are smaller than that (wouldn't go below 6pt, 7 is better). 9 point is the size of the type in your average book- if an employer can't read 9 point type, much less the 10pt you've got going, he can't read construction documents. Again, this is assuming you're using a typeface with average or larger x-height based on tendencies of architects.... if you're using something really old, say a Perpetua or a Bodoni, that could change things. But generally I think what you've got sounds fine.

wow that was educational, I think everyone on archinect is making use of rationalist's graphic art experience.

I typically type documents/working drawings at 10.5 pt - but then I use the devil (arial) for everything. It reads well (not as well Helvetica) and adjusts even if I need to caption something to about 3/4 the size.

so, what are some cool fonts to use? i love helvetica light because of how elegant and generic it is. what else can i use (so that my portfolio doesn't start looking like an american apparel ad)?

trade gothic
swiss 721, like every other architecture student...

What is it with architect's desire to make things difficult?


Keep it at a minimum of 12.

When people age they change and this change the form of the eye so the average person with an age of more than 32 , can simply not focus a 9 but need atleast a 12 point . So the rule are that if you write something for people more than 32 at age with less than 12 point , they will be frustrated , guess frustration is not your messeage.

9pt seems really small to me. Instead of using micro print, why not use this as a driving force to be more concise and clear in your writing? Edit and rewrite some of your sentences and see what you can do without resorting to shrinking the text.

It's not a poster, it's something that someone reads as they hold it in their hands, only a foot or two away from their face! Do you think the type in the books, magazines, and websites you read is too small? Do you realize how enormous 12pt type is? That's children's-book sized type. It's not about having too much type so you shrink it, it's about making it look good and yes, making it readable. When you have huge type, your line lengths get screwed up and it is less readable. Seriously, glance at any typography book for thoughts on this by professionals if you don't believe me.

Nicolas- the great thing about helvetica is its neutrality. If you're going for light and elegant, I'd try Gotham book. I'm a big fan of slab serifs (glypha, egyptienne, etc.) but I have no idea how that would look with the work you're presenting.

Yep. I use 9pt all the time. I also use smaller type for captions, etc. As rationalist has indicated, the size of type needs to work with the application. Is it a book, poster or sign? All have different requirements. How wide is your column? This also impacts your point size. Does the eye need to follow a line of type across 3 inches or 9? The wider the column the larger the type. Who is your audience? Are you speaking to 15 year olds or 65 year olds?

The other problem with saying one should not use anything smaller than 12pt is that fonts are sized like women's clothing. It means nothing.

this is great stuff, thanks guys

12 as a general rule of thumb.

But its horses for courses.

I don't think any said someone should never use any particular size. They merely said what sizes are good for legibility across age groups. There is a use at almost any size depending on audience, intended effect, medium, etc. There is no one size fits all solution for every scenario.

9 point can be fine, but you have to set the text carefully - watch the leading and use a font that responds well to the small size. Some fonts are great at small sizes, while others visually blur.

difficulty reading small text is not the exclusive domain of the "old".

9 can be fine. I usually go with 10 for letters and such.

12 just looks ugly and takes up too much space.


Note: the legibility is no entirely determined by the size. The overall design can be very important (for example, I'd go larger on a letter than on a isolated description in a portfolio, where the text is secondary).

As e points out, fonts vary dramatically in size. Target audience is important too.

Working on a master plan report for a university right now and we had an extensive conversation in the office about this subject...

We originally used 12 pt. and it looked like an amateur put it together. So we are going with 9 pt. for the main body of the text with footers and such going as small as 7 pt.

It seems like the smaller we go with font size, we paid greater attention to the spacing between characters and the spacing between lines.. In other words, use a program that allows you to adjust these settings and I think your font sizes will be just fine.

10/12 is good...

If it is something important in your portfolio and u want to make sure people notice it than bump up the text size. Also u could change the vertical size of the text to give it the appearance of being a bit smaller...though i'm sure that's already been suggested

Paul, whats the font size here?

depends on your browser

"Also u could change the vertical size of the text to give it the appearance of being a bit smaller...though i'm sure that's already been suggested."

I would never change the proportion of a font. It's just wrong.