Can I ask why you use a base body type setting of 12px in your presentation with all the complex em settings – and why not say the 62.5% setting to get a base setting of 10pt ?

Just curious – I’m trying to decide which method to use.

No disrespect to the other panelists in other sessions, but your two sessions left me eager to get back to my computer, thirsty to learn more, and gave me ACTUAL take-away information that I could take REAL NOTES on.

I don’t mind discussion panels, but many of them quickly degenerate into unrehearsed comedy routines. And although I respect differing opinions on things as diverse as high-class vs. low-class web design, I really enjoy learning and hoped to learn as much as possible at SXSW.

I kept recalling my experience at PhotoShop World in Boston a few years ago. Every session was the kind where you LEARNED something. I took notes. And I always left with at least ONE nugget I could take back and use immediately.

So thank you so much for your informative panels. This is information I can use.

It also makes it FAR easier for me to come back to my office and say… this is what I LEARNED (they like to feel I wasn’t just wasting their money there… imagine). Instead I have to try to relay what some designer thinks about designing for the lower classes. Who cares?

There is certainly a place for theory and opinion at SXSW, but I think the powers that be should introduce more “lesson” type sessions like yours were. They changed the way I do things. THAT is the point… isn’t it?

Thank you for energizing my creativity again. Your two sessions were the best. Easily.

- When you’re looking at the vertical rhythm, I can see the bits with line-height for headings to make them take one unit (like the example of a heading at 18px, and the vertical space at 18px, so a line-height of 1em). What do you do if the heading is bigger than a unit?

- For grid design and hanging punctuation, are there times when hanging bullet points etc. can cause them to bleed in to another column, or should you make the gutters big enough to avoid this happening?

Anyways, enjoying reading the site – thanks for making all this content available.

I attended the Typography panel and thought it was one of the best panels I attended. SXSW was amazing and I’m definitely going back next year!

Honestly, yours and Khoi’s panel on grids was great. I never knew you were feeling so bad, but you guys did an incredible job. Part of me wished it was much longer, but part of me thinks it was the right length because it forced me to pay attention. I am actually implementing what I learned about grids on a new project and it is working beautifully!

Most of what I liked about the panels was the panelists that told stories, what they learned from it and the basic principle for the rest of us to take to heart. Some of the panelists were rather dull, though, as they tended to be too technical or just provide stories without any “lesson learned” to share.

Outside of that, did anyone else enjoy the Wireless Dial-up Internet access as much as I did? :P

I did, however, meet a lot of great people and that was the best thing about my first experience at SXSW.

Paul: It was great to meet you too Paul. I agree, I hope they ditch the 25 minute thing, but if they don’t, I hope the panelists (me included here), take note that a new format requires a slightly different approach.

erin: Thanks, glad you enjoyed the presentation. It was great to finally meet you too. Next year, I’m also going to make a real effort to go to some panels outside of my area. I was guilty of attending too many design focussed panels this year.

This year was my first SXSW, and I was a bit bowled over by the number of people and panels; next year I’m going to try and get to more of the panels that seem out of my area. Carrie Bickner-Zeldman’s digital preservation panel was great and quite unlike anything else I saw this year, and I wish I’d seen a few more of the other unusual talks.

I was slightly annoyed by the 25 minute length presentations, which to me seemed far too short, and the hour ones sometimes felt like they dragged on a little too long.

Overall, I was impressed by the range of topics covered, and compared to @media, I actually felt there was less preaching to the converted, but perhaps that’s because I deliberately avoided the panels that sounded similar to talks I’ve heard before.

Finally, I would just like to add that it was great to finally meet you (and Andy) on the last day, and I hope you have more enjoyable/healthy SXSW next year.

I wish your grids session was longer, there was so much to take in at one time, but the power session timing, in my opinion, did not work out. Lets hope they dont try that next year. The fact that I had to walk all the way around the conference venue to some elevators to get to another room was a hassle as well.

I did not get to meet you, nor see your web typography session (I did read the slides though, very nice), but there is always next year. Lets hope a cold doesnt hit year this time next year!

Brian

PS(so are you going to get back to the book now? ;P)