Virtual Typography
<p>Virtual Reality was not made for reading long texts. So it is not surprising that typography does not play a prominent role in the design of virtual environments.</p>
<p>This, however, is a bit of a shame. As Oliver Reichenstein noted, <a href="https://ia.net/topics/the-web-is-all-about-typography-period" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">web design is 95% typography</a> and Frank Rausch added that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_4j47Q2NQ8" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">quite often, the user interface is just text</a>. Since even Virtual and Augmented Reality requires some sort of visual user interface, text will be part of any digital environment.</p>
<p>Furthermore, reading is still essential for conveying different kinds of information. Text cannot and should not always be replaced by videos, audio, images and avatars. No matter how the Metaverse plays out — written language will be part of it.</p>
<p>A few weeks ago, I published a <a href="https://borism.medium.com/stop-simulating-15934b0ec41c" rel="noopener">rant on the silly obsession with simulation in Virtual Reality</a>. This criticism holds up, especially regarding text and user interfaces. UI is often depicted as 2D windows, panels and buttons floating in 3D space. I generally dislike simulation — but this is just daft:</p>
<p><a href="https://borism.medium.com/virtual-typography-533362b50915"><strong>Website</strong></a></p>