Choosing the Best Typeface


Any book designer will tell you that typeface has a great deal to do with conveying the character of the book. If the book is supposed be a serious, authoritative examination of a weighty topic or a carefree, lighthearted pleasure-read, the designer tries to choose a typeface that visually suggests a similar mood or feeling. Not too many books about the Hegelian philosophy have been done up in comic book lettering. Also, the size of the text helps the designer choose the right typeface. Some kinds of type work well at small sizes because they're more legible, while others work better in larger sizes for the same reason.

Having said that, Web typography isn't nearly as complex as the print equivalent. There are far fewer typefaces from which to choose, and there aren't as many variables, even in a robust language like CSS, which narrows your design options but, at the same time, makes choosing the best typeface fairly straightforward.

Here are a few rules of thumb:

  • Serif fonts such as Times New Roman work best for Web sites with serious, sober content.

  • Sans serif fonts such as Arial work best for Web sites with lighter, more playful content.

  • Serif fonts at regular sizes tend to be easier to read when you have long passages of text.

  • A wide typeface such as Verdana or Georgia works best at small type sizes. At larger type sizes, these fonts tend to be too big.

  • Sans serif fonts generally work better than serif fonts for headings.



Web Design Garage
Web Design Garage
ISBN: 0131481991
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 202
Authors: Marc Campbell

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net