When it comes to typography design, it is more than choosing fonts. It is also more than making decisions on which fonts appear visually aesthetic. No matter how creative the design is, it is useless if it still has one problem:
A readability issue.
The appropriate typeface is not just about what fits your work’s context. It also has everything to do with its readability, visual appeal, and increase in conversion. Not only that, but the right typeface also has to help improve your sales.
There are many things to consider when it comes to this. Let’s check them out below:
Things To Consider When You Design Your Typography:
As professional designers, you cannot do a half-baked job. When you craft letterforms, there are many things to consider. Each element you pay attention to will affect the outcome of your work. Those elements are:
- Shapes and sizes.
- Emotion and neutrality.
- Personality and practicality.
- Legibility and flexibility.
These opposites can be very tricky at times. If you are not careful balancing each pair, the result may not come out right. Your typeface may look odd. You may not get your message across.
The worst possibility is to have to go through a do-over and get your clients disappointed.
More Challenges for Typography Designers In The Digital Realm
The typography fundamentals are what every designer must know to work on print design. However, there are more challenges once typography design is in the digital realm. While the print design is more rigid, it is not the case with the digital typeface in terms of static typeface and color control.
Many factors influence the fluidity of digital typography; some of them include:
The size of the screen.
What looks good on your web may not be the same once it is done for the mobile app version. Not to mention how it may look on your smartphone or computer tablet. The hassles seem never to end.
The resolution of the screen.
When it comes to text legibility, pixel density is the key. Yes, high-resolution screens have been more accessible these days. However, designers still have to struggle with the outliers of the previous technological issues.
The calibration of the screen.
Different shades of colors are also affected by the device’s brightness levels. The challenge here is to ensure that the colors you choose for your web design can fit all screen setting types.
How To Choose The Best Typeface for Reading On The Screen
Thankfully, with every technological advance in design comes more options for typography. There are plenty of fonts made for the screen, and they have certain nuances. These nuances help to enhance text legibility.
We do not have to stick to old-fashioned, overused fonts for our design. These days, the choices are varied, from Google Fonts to Font Library and Adobe Typekit. These three are just some of the famous options among other possibilities in the digital realm.
How To Format Your Typeface for a Better Digital Reading Experience
Attention span is common in terms of digital experience. Reading is just the same. It is no surprise that digital articles do not contain more than 1000 words. It differs from the traditional, printed articles back in the pre-digital days.
That is why choosing the right typeface is only the first start. Deciding on the line length and hide is another tricky matter. If you are not careful, it can break the digital design. Some of the simple tips to format your typeface for a better digital-reading experience include:
- Not using all caps.
- Keeping the minimum number of fonts to use.
- Being ready for more trials and errors to find the right typeface.
So, what makes an ideal text size? It relies on the typeface you choose based on factors like x-height and counter-openness. These two elements will impact the legibility of the text. To help you to overcome these issues, you may use helpful tools like Grid Lover. This tool uses sliders to change how each measurement appears.
You may also carefully consider the color options for your background. Make sure you use the contrasted two shades to make the copy look readable. You can use WebAIM’s Contrast Checker to ensure that the contrast ratio meets the requirements for accessibility standards.
Testing Is Important
Like all experiments, you cannot call it a result without testing it first. Tes your typography on-screen and displays. It requires great patience and persistence since you have to find a typeface that may appear equally aesthetic and readable on all screen types and sizes.
You may not find that it is 100% ideal for all of them. The least that you can do is find the closest one.
Simple Guidelines for Web Typography
Designing type letters in the digital realm may be tricky. However, this does not mean that there are no longer relevant rules. These are the guidelines that you must still follow, especially to aim for readability:
1. Choose letters that are clear and easy to recognize.
The trick is to ensure the eye can spot the gaps and differences between letters. Some type letters have simple slickness and rhythm. Of course, the legible typefaces are those with more nuances among the letters.
So, what makes clear, recognizable letters? Here are some of the traits:
Distinctive letters.
If each typeface does not have any shape distinctions, the letters will appear dull and repetitive.
Open forms.
The more open the forms, the less blurry the letters become.
Clear terminals.
Clear terminals are created from distinguishable letters on the beginnings and endings. This trick does your eyes the favor of spotting individual forms more clearly.
Letterform contrast.
Contrasting the letterform also helps to recognize individual forms better. However, this is where it may get tricky. If you get too high in contrast, some strokes in the letterform may disappear. If the contrast is too low, the letterform may get too thick to hide its true shape.
2. Format the text for the highest standard of legibility.
Formatting the text for digital reading is the next step after choosing the right letters. Always consider colors and sizes when it comes to the readability of the text. These elements can be your pointers for that:
The size of the body text.
It depends on where you want your readers to read the text. You can still apply some general rules. Still, it is much safer to test the size on different screen types to see how the text may look. For example, how it looks on the web and mobile app.
The leading part.
The typeface that you choose affects the space between lines. A general rule you must follow here is to choose the small one. Smaller typefaces tighten the leading part.
The length of the line.
Staring at the screen too long can cause fatigue in your eyes. It can be worsened by having too big a length on the line. To be on the safe side, keep the line length limit between 45 to 75 characters for each line.
The contrast of the color.
Text legibility can be supported by the colors that give the right contrast ratio. The well-balanced ratio, in this case, is 4.5:1. This measurement is according to WCAG (The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).
Some Examples of Typography Designs with Clear Readability:
Here are some examples of typography design with clear readability:
1. Fragua
Thick and bold, Fragua offers a sharp appearance and readable typeface. The gaps between letters are even.
2. Sans Serif Font.
Who doesn’t know Sans Serif Font? In French, “sans” means “without.” It is the opposite of a Serif Font. Sans Serif Font is one of the screen’s easiest, most readable typefaces.
3. Cerbetica Regular.
Cerbetica Regular is a typeface created by Monofonts. Neat and slim, this typography has a wider gap between letters than Fragua.
4. Serif Font.
A tiny stroke or line at the end of a larger stroke makes Serif Font unique. This font is also one of the most readable in the digital realm.
5. Ledger Regular.
Ledger Regular – or just ‘Ledger’ – offers a classic typeface look. Consisting of uppercase and lowercase letters, Ledger Regular has enough space between letters that you can identify each letter.
6. Handwriting Font.
Inspired by real, human cursive handwriting, this font still has a decent space gap between letters. Imagine reading a cursive, handwritten letter without any problems.
7. Antic Slab Regular.
This typeface looks almost like Ledger Regular. The only difference is that the type letters are much slimmer.
There are still plenty of other options. Keep looking until you find the right ones.
The Conclusion:
When it comes to typography design, readability is critically important. What is good about a creative-looking typeface if your readers still cannot get the message? That is why all designers must consider many elements before deciding on a font or two. In the end, it is still about delivering messages.