How Fonts Impact Web Design
It is imperative to make note that around 95% of information on the web is written language. So, it is quite evident that the choice of fonts affects a web design enormously and adversely.
A web user will only get irritated and will leave the web page instantly if the fonts used are only making it challenging to engage him or her. If the user finds the website uninteresting and leaves, then there is surely a rational explanation to that which is mainly the choice of the font used. Readers online read by sometimes skipping through the text and other times paying close attention to the writing and finishing off with the entire content. In any case, it is imperative that the font is as user friendly as possible so that your visitors will come back to your site.
Let’s take a look at why fonts hold a major significance in web design:
Size of font
It is extremely important to understand that the size should be large enough so that it is readable for even those who do not have normal vision. According to a Research conducted by Nielson, small font size was the top complaint by the web visitors.
Line Spacing
According to a Research, web visitors projected a better reading speed when the line spacing was 1.5. So, line spacing is most important to be close to 1.5 to enhance reading speed and hence user’s comfort.
Age of the reader
As, the age proceeds, light that enters and gets through retina decreases. Therefore you must identify the age of your target market and then choose the font that is more readable for the specific age group.
Culture
Culture influences how we perceive a specific type of font. One font may be used professionally in a region and casually in another. So, according to the nature of the business, choose a font that suits best to the region of the target market.
Most effective font practices
Here are the finest practices that are prevalent and most commonly used as best web design practices:
- Headlines constitute of equal percentage of serif and sans serif fonts
- In the body copy, serif font is practiced more than sans-serif fonts
- Usually non-standard fonts are more commonly used on websites
- It is advised to not use more than 84 characters in every line
- Backgrounds use the dark-on-light color scheme
Another crucial factor to keep in mind is that many users access your business website on smartphones. So, font must be chosen carefully in order to keep it mobile friendly. Choosing a font becomes even easier if the site has a theme. For example, if the theme is funky, then you can go for a bold and bigger font. If you are using WordPress for your website, then you can choose a modern theme that will further make the task easier for you to choose the best font style for different parts of the website. Remember to highlight the important facts to make them stand out.