Against colons
This is not an tirade against the anatomical accessories we possess that aid us in digestion. I have nothing against these organs presently. RATHER this article is a tirade against the use of the English language symbol “:”, specifically between a user interface label and a field to which the label is attached. For example: Name: [_______________] People. If you have an obvious label next to your user interface field there is no need for the colon. It is completely superfluous. Colons mean: “ending the old, beginning the new”. But when you look at a user interface like this, do you think, “god, I am so thankful that the designer put a COLON there, lest I confuse the text box/radio button/check box with the label!”? No, of course you don’t. Now, if you have two labels next to each other, or a label next to a paragraph, and the text decorations such as font-size, color, emphasis, etc. do not make it very plain that the label and the text to which it refers are in fact separate user interface elements, it would be appropriate to include a colon. For example: Name: None of your business I am not a professional designer, nor do I claim any special experience in the dark arts of the crayola. But what I do have is an eye for efficiency. And reading damn colons next to form fields interrupts my serene form-filling experience, so stop using them and I will stop hating. That is all.