/controls/designlog/

Body text change to 1rem

I kind of miss the smaller text, but this is more modern and easier to read.

Phone-width comparison

current ≤400px 12px / 19.2px

A notebook for the things I learn

This site is a place to keep notes worth finding again. Some entries are short answers to practical questions; others grow into longer explanations as I understand the subject better.

On a narrow screen, comfortable text matters more, not less. The measure is already short, so reducing the type does little to improve it—it mostly makes every line harder to read.

Reading time: 2 minutes · Updated today

proposal: all viewports 16px / 25.6px

A notebook for the things I learn

This site is a place to keep notes worth finding again. Some entries are short answers to practical questions; others grow into longer explanations as I understand the subject better.

On a narrow screen, comfortable text matters more, not less. The measure is already short, so reducing the type does little to improve it—it mostly makes every line harder to read.

Reading time: 2 minutes · Updated today

Both columns represent the same 360px-wide viewport and use the same font, weight, colors, padding, and unitless 1.6 line height. The proposal occupies more vertical space; that is the direct cost of making the text easier to read.

The whole scale

12px

Small screens should not require small reading text.

14px

Small screens should not require small reading text.

15px

Small screens should not require small reading text.

16px

Small screens should not require small reading text.

The 14px and 12px steps are the old responsive breakpoints. The 15px row is the old desktop setting; 16px is the new baseline at every viewport. The live setting is expressed as 1rem, allowing it to follow the browser’s preferred default rather than fixing the baseline at 16 CSS pixels.