ReadWriteWeb

Speed counts, and nobody knows that better than Google. The latest tweak to provide better performance comes in the form of adopting a new compression type that promises to yield files about 15% smaller than using Gzip to compress fonts. If you're already using Google's Web Fonts, what do you need to do to get the improvements? Nothing!

Are you sick of seeing Arial, Verdana, Times New Roman and other boring, overused fonts (I'm looking at you, Comic Sans) all over the Web? For years, browser compatibility and font licensing issues have led to the proliferation of a handful of "Web-safe" fonts. Soon, however, all that could change with a proposed file format that seeks to broaden the web designer's font palette, making aesthetic Web typography easier, international and searchable.

Google just launched a font directory and a font API that will make it easier for web developers and publishers to use high-quality open source fonts on their sites. Good typography on the web is still in its infancy, but Google wants to make it easier for developers to use a wider variety of fonts on the Web that go beyond the standard set of "web-safe" fonts that come pre-installed on most modern computers.

FontStruct is a new online font creation tool from font seller FontShop that was officially launched last week. The site combines a Flash-based font maker (the Fontstructor) with a community site built around sharing, discussing, and building off of those fonts. FontStruct is free to use, as are all the fonts created using it.