Duncan Stephen

Article — 2 February 2013 — 994 words

On the web, big is beautiful — but not in extremes

No matter how great a design trend feels at the time, we always look back and cringe. What is today’s clanger? I am worried that everything on the web is getting too big.

Article — 28 January 2013 — 990 words

Subscription options and the failed promise of RSS

User experience — Web

RSS feeds were once a promising feature of the web, but are usually only used by geeks. So is it still a good idea to publicise RSS feeds on your website?

Article — 20 January 2013 — 527 words

Newtyle Railway walk

Walking

Our project to complete 40 walks in Dundee and Angus gave me the perfect excuse to explore the Newtyle Railway.

Article — 8 January 2013 — 355 words

Balmashanner Hill

Walking

My girlfriend and I are attempting to complete 80 walks in our area. Our first walk was at Balmashanner Hill in Forfar.

Article — 1 January 2013 — 1,421 words

Was Joyce Hatto always a con artist?

Media — Music

Joyce Hatto was a revered pianist until her recordings were revealed to be fakes after her death. But was the truth about her recordings staring everyone in the face all along?

Article — 24 December 2012 — 593 words

Colour

Accessibility — Web

Concluding my look at the decisions I made while designing this website, this article looks at the issues surrounding colour.

Article — 23 December 2012 — 601 words

Layout and responsive design

User experience — Web

Continuing my series explaining the decisions I made while designing this website, this article looks at the process of creating the layout and working on a responsive design.

Article — 22 December 2012 — 558 words

HTML5 and web fonts

Accessibility — Web

This series of posts will cover some of the decisions I have made while designing this website. This first article looks at the issues surrounding HTML5 and web fonts.

Article — 20 December 2012 — 497 words

Some notes on my new website

Personal — Web

I have decided to start blogging again — sort of. I explain why I had to stop in the past, and how I plan to carry on in the future.

Article — 23 February 2012 — 388 words

My name is Duncan and I am interested in fonts. Against my better judgement, sometimes I blurt out this fact, and people run a mile. But is it becoming acceptable? Simon Garfield’s book, Just My Type, would make it seem like a perfectly normal interest. Though there is a nod and a wink towards the […]

Article — 30 January 2012 — 674 words

Brutalism: Post-War British Architecture

Architecture

I have found myself developing an interest in brutalism, the style of architecture that was predominant in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. I have had a slight interest in modern architecture in the past, but I am finding myself increasingly drawn to brutalist structures and other buildings from this era. It is not just the […]

Article — 11 January 2012 — 325 words

The newfangled apostrophe

Culture — Current affairs

Outrage has broken out among pedants everywhere, as it was revealed that Waterstones has dropped the apostrophe from its name. Waterstones is hardly the first business to make this move. For instance, Woolworths was, up until the 1980s, called Woolworth. But people called it Woolworths, so the company adopted it. Note how many people also […]