Web Design and 5 Ways to Be Font Smart

Web design should make it clear which fonts are to be used on the site. It often doesn't occur to website designers to think about the fonts too much but they matter hugely. The main font used by your site needs to be a key part of the web design process.

Smart 1

Use a font that all the browsers support in the same way. It might not be obvious but not all browsers use fonts in the same way. Once you move away from the mainstream fonts quite quickly things start to go all over the place! So focus on the mainstream fonts like Verdana, Arial and Helvetica.

Smart 2

Use a decent size. 14 pt font is the size you should have as default. It's big and easy to see. This means that older people can access the site easily and quickly. This is great if you are an ecommerce site since this is the group of people that generally have a good disposable income.

Smart 3

Use black. Don't get tempted by the vast array of colours you can get for fonts. For you main body text use black text. It's easy on the eyes and so pleasant to read. If you want to use different colours use them for the headings or other parts but make the main body easy to read.

Smart 4

Don't crush up your text. Make sure when you look at the text that the text is well spaced. There is nothing worse for a reader than text that is all crushed up together. Don't do it!! If your text is crushed together get the person responsible for your web design to sort it out with CSS classes.

Smart 5

Use CSS to control your fonts. A core part of web design should always be making sure that fonts (and other page elements) are controlled by CSS classes. If you don't know what this is then ask your web designer. This is one of the things that can be really hard to sort after the site has been developed so ask at the start of the web design not after it is completed.

These 5 smart font tips can really aid your web design. You should discuss them with your web designer to satisfy yourself that they have been accounted for in the web design.

Alan is the founder of www.website-huddle.com which provides affordable website design and development. Why not see what we can do for your small business, club or organisation, you'll be pleasantly surprised at the low cost and the high quality. Go to www.website-huddle.com now to find out more.