Kleinburg Brewery
- design
- / web
When typing out your text on a webpage, don’t just go with the default font. Believe it or not, the way font is used can have a huge impact on the look of text and how easily it can be read.
For your next web design project, be sure to keep the following 7 tips in mind regarding typography.
1. Understand the Personality of the Font You’re Using
The reason why there are different fonts is because they each speak to a certain personality and voice. The rule of thumb here is to fully understand who your audience is, and understand what the purpose of your specific page. Once you’ve got these tidbits of info, select a font that perfectly matches both.
2. Use Two Different Fonts
The majority of pages look more visually appealing if more than one type of font is used. But using three or more has the opposite effect. Stick to using two different fonts throughout your page – one for the body of the text, and the other for the headings.
3. Consider the Size of the Font
Just because 12-point font has long been the default size for Word documents, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best. Depending on exactly what type of emphasis you’re going for, you may want to change up the font as necessary. If you’re writing paragraphs, stick with a 10point font, and use larger text when you’re trying to highlight an important point.
4. Measure Readability
How easy it is to read large amounts of text is known as readability. It is affected by the type and size of the font, as well as line spacing and line length.
5. Measure Legibility
While readability refers to how well large amounts of text can be read, legibility refers to how easy it is to read short pieces of texts. Legibility is critical for words or phrases that you really want the reader to understand. Since certain letters read less easily compared to others in specific fonts, you’ll want to measure the font for legibility first before publishing your text.
6. Make Wise Use of Line Spacing
Line spacing is exactly what it sounds like – how much space there is between the lines. For the most part, fonts are designed along with their accompanying line space that’s just slightly larger than the letters. If you’ve got a lot of text, consider adding more space between lines to improve readability.
7. Be Careful With ALL CAPS
Using all caps is the equivalent of shouting on paper. While it’s fine to use the occasional word in caps to emphasize it, using all caps in entire sentences is not recommended. Words are read in shapes, which is how we are able to read quickly. But these shapes are eliminated when all caps are used, which makes it much more difficult to read quickly.
It can be confusing to decide which font to use, the size, the style, and so on. Keep these 7 tips in mind when designing your webpages – you’ll be amazed at what a difference they can make.