Web typography is an essential aspect that designers need to factor in during web development. It ensures that your texts are highly readable and engaging. Users who visit a site are more concerned about the text than the images. Hence, it is essential to pick an appropriate typeface that matches the content to enhance usability.
No matter how appealing your website is, it will affect readability if it has the wrong typeface. Thus, most UI/UX agency designers ensure that the typography is suitable for each website design.
This article discusses the typography rules you need to make your website highly readable.
Pick a Suitable Typeface
One important typography rule that you should not overlook is the font type. You need to choose a typeface that aligns with your content. While many designers prefer to use straight typefaces, you can explore others that will relate to your target audience. For instance, you can use a stylish typeface for a design website as long as the information is clear. Remember, picking a suitable typeface will make your website readable and engaging. Users will love interacting with your site, and you will get more visits.
Limit the Typefaces in a Website
A website needs visual consistency through the use of one or two typefaces. Using many typefaces on your website makes it unappealing and impossible to read. Thus, designers should stick to one typeface and can incorporate several fonts to bring out distinctions in a page. For instance, the heading can be bold and the subheading in italics. If you want two typefaces, go for similar options to bring visual cohesion to the users.
Use Sans Serif in Body Text
San serif typefaces are straight without any extensions. They are straight and readable compared to serifs, which have curvy features. Thus, designers should use sans serifs mainly on the body texts of web pages.
Web typography is all about visual harmony and increasing usability. Therefore, make sure the font does not have any distracting elements attached to long texts. In contrast, you can add serif fonts on the headings or short quotes to break the monotony.
Effective Use of White Space
Use the white space appropriately if you want your website to be consistent and readable. This means the space within a web page, including the words and sentences, should be even. Not forgetting the images and the text blocks in the website.
Do not clutter your page with too much information squeezed in lines. It will make it difficult for users to read the information on your site.
Moreover, it would be best to streamline the line spaces to achieve uniformity. Bulk text blocks will chase the users from your website.
Use Standard Web Fonts
Another rule that you should consider is to use standard web fonts. These are fonts that are compatible with various browsers and electronic devices. If you use a typeface that is not standard, the system will pick out a random font and alter the website’s appearance.
To avoid such inconveniences, ensure you pick a standard typeface during web design. It will save you time and money to search and purchase non-standard typefaces online. Furthermore, it allows users to read the texts without complications across all devices.
Use Appropriate Text Size
Using the appropriate text size is a technique that ensures readability and consistency. Using small text sizes will hinder readability, while large texts can create a dense sensation. Most designers use 16px as the standard size on web pages, as it is visible on any browser or device.
However, text hierarchy creates contrast and grabs the users’ attention. For instance, you can make the title larger and decrease the font size in the headers. Moreover, it helps the users skim through the content easily to find what they are looking for on the website.
Avoid Caps in Headings
Most people think that using caps in all headings is the right thing to do. But designers understand that all caps are not appropriate in web typography. You can find other ways to emphasize your title and headers. For instance, you can bold the text to create a visually appealing contrast.
Effective Use of Colors
One design flaw that many designers often make is improper use of color. While color makes a site vibrant, effective combinations are essential for a good website. Designers need to be intentional while selecting colors for web typography.
Does the color enhance readability? Sure, it does! So, avoid throwing in unnecessary colors that do not match the brand or the content. Ensure the color has a strong contrast between the text blocks and the background. The background color might make the text disappear.
Avoid Text Animation
Even though animations are appealing, they affect your website’s readability. Moving text with stylish extensions makes it difficult for users to read. Most users might abandon their mission on the website because of the distractive moving animations. Hence, designers need to make the text static to avoid the animation effects from affecting users.
Furthermore, good web typography has more text compared to images. The text makes your website more responsive since search engines do not read animation and images.
Limit Centered Texts
Having centered text blocks on a website is unappealing and unprofessional. Instead, ensure your texts flow from the left to the right, with at least 45-90 characters on each line length. Still, if you have to center the texts, practice moderation to avoid usability problems.
Wise Typography Decisions really Count
Ultimately, you can make your business website readable and appealing if you follow the proper typography rules. Make sure you pick the suitable typeface, size, and color combinations to enhance usability. Don’t forget to test the site and gather feedback from users. It is an important web design phase that will allow measuring the effectiveness of website typography. Following all the tips we’ve discussed above will have you make your readers happy when they access your site because of legible information and a professional website design.
