Fluid Web Typography

Web Measurements

Many designers want to define with exact precision the placement and size of elements in a Web design, similar to the way they might design for print or video. Those media are static—even video, which might move and be projected onto larger screens, but the aspect ratio does not change, so everything is scaled relatively. However, on the Web, you are dealing with a variable canvas, with its final size dependent on the whims of the reader.

Understand relative and absolute unit types

In Web design, sizes can be expressed in either absolute or relative terms. I’ll explain later in this section which to use for a particular situation, but first review the different measurement types and the units at your disposal.

Keep in mind ...