Introduction
Typography impacts how customers perceive & feel toward your website. Good typography can create better readability, improve trust & confidence, & enhance branding, while bad typography can send users away without a second thought. Regardless of whether you are creating a personal blog, an eCommerce website, or a homepage for your business, selecting the best fonts for your website is an important part of your design.
This is a comprehensive guide to consider for selecting fonts for your website.
1. Understand basic web typography
It is important to be aware of the basic terms before we get into selecting a font:
- Serif & sans-serif: Serif fonts have small, decorative flourishes or strokes at the end of letters (like Times New Roman), whereas sans-serif fonts are more contemporary & cleaner (like Arial, Helvetica).
- Font Family: A set of fonts that possess some shared design elements & features.
- Line Height & Letter Spacing: These elements have a direct effect on how readable your text will be on certain screens.
An overview of these concepts will aid in vocabulary & terminology when selecting fonts.
2. Think About Your Brand Personality
Brand personality should match your font. Is your brand serious or playful? Classic or fresh? Timely or timeless?
- Professional websites (lawyers, bankers, etc) use serif fonts that look timeless & are perceived to be trustworthy.
- Creative businesses (designers, tech startups, etc) like using sans serif or display fonts that look sleek & modern.
- Lifestyle websites or artsy portfolios may use script fonts or other decorative fonts to display personality, but only as an accent.
Your font style should be consistent across all pages to develop coherence in a brand.
3. Is it Readable and Accessible
Fonts can look stylish and trendy in a design template, but that doesn't mean they function for the user. Choose fonts that are:
- Legible on all devices & screen dimensions
- Offered in several weights (light, regular, bold) for hierarchy in content
- Web safe or web optimized so that it is fast loading & appears the same across browsers.
Avoid fonts that are overly decorative or too thin, as they may affect reading, especially for users experiencing visual impairments.
4. Limit Yourself to Two or Three Fonts
Having too many different fonts can lead to a website design that feels unprofessional, or worse, chaotic. A good rule of thumb is:
- One font for headings
- One font for body text
- Maybe a font to accent body text or calls to action, or branding elements
Pair fonts that complement one another. For example, using a serif font for headings & a sans-serif font for body text is a great way to offer contrast without clash.
5. Preview How the Font Looks on Different Devices
You should always preview the font selections you make on different devices & browsers. Just because something looks stylish on a desktop does not mean it will be easy to read on a smartphone.
Consider using tools like Google Fonts, Adobe Fonts, or Fontpair to experiment with combinations & check for compatibility.
6. Create a Visual Hierarchy
Use differences in font size, weight, & style to help users navigate your content. Headlines should be strong & stand out, while body text should be simple & legible.
Incorporating a visual hierarchy is a way to help users skim content & locate what they want.
Final Thoughts
Choosing good fonts is a design decision, but it is also a functional decision that relates to user experience, branding, & conversion rates. Make sure to spend time testing & trying combinations. Always keep in mind clarity, consistency, & accessibility.
