Unless we have a upsurge in interest for another name, consensus seems to be for "Phoenix".
Walter and I have been corresponding regarding the legibility and consistency of labels, and I think it would be fruitful to get community input into the issues on the table.
We, of course, want a consistent labeling scheme. In my article I talked about the unwieldy nature of the 35s' use of multiple typefaces in both roman and italic forms. In my article I use Computer Modern for text and AMS Symbol for symbols such as arrow keys, and then used LaTeX to do the typesetting for me. This was convenient since LaTeX typesets mathematics beautifully, but was far from optimal for the application at hand.
Walter rightly pointed out some deficiencies in these fonts: many are too light weight for calculator labels, the mathematical symbols don't integrate well with the rest, etc.
One thing I do want to pursue is standardizing on a sans serif font across the board. The serif/sans serif with roman/italic transitions reduces legibility. (It also really messes with my brain ;)).
Earlier I offered some different layouts for the uWatch overly using ITC Stone Humanist, Gill Sans, Eras, etc.
uWatch Keyboard Layout Using different fonts
I am partial to ITC Stone Humanist because I have loved Sumner Stone's work, but it too may not be the best choice for this application. Another typeface that I have found is from the highly regard Czech designer Frantisek Storm. It is Anselm and seems have the weight to be easily legible even at small sizes, i.e., it is bold enough to offer enough contrast at low resolution printing for labels. It also has the advantage of having both upper and lower case Greek letters plus fractions for facilitating the setting of mathematical entities. It gives a few alternatives for the numbers as well. And it has superscripted and subscripted forms of the lowercase letters.
Those who are interested could you please go to the following link. Just below the graphic sample is a PDF that discusses its development and gives more detailed samples in usage.
What are your thoughts? Walter and I have talked about trying to resolve issues such differentiating between the 'i' for interest rate and the 'i' for complex numbers; standardizing on the <<delta>> symbol rather than CHG, etc. What other issues should we all be watchful of as we develop a labeling scheme?
Now, about typesetting the labels themselves. I have used OpenOffice Equation Writer to typeset some of the mathematics such as 'x root of y', etc. but end up going back to LaTeX because of my familiarity and my belief that it is easier. I have even considered installing the chosen font into LaTeX and then letting it do the typesetting.
What other alternatives do people suggest in coming up with the labels? Any graphic designers in the crowd?
Cheers.
Edited: 7 Nov 2007, 8:26 a.m.