Web Design: Using The Most Appropriate Typeface And Fonts

By Author: Bryan F Bell
Total Articles: 121
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For a successful website, the web design text content needs to as simple as possible and at the same time smart and effective. This principle is very effective at making the text content of website legible and readable. No matter how appealing one makes the website with the use of flash, at the end of the day the conversion rate of visitor into buyer counts.

Many researches have been conducted to know which type of text messages get through to the prospective buyers and effective at converting the visitor into buyer.

Comfort:

The website needs to be appealing but not that flashy as to make the prospective buyer uncomfortable. The text content of any website needs to be easily understood, readable and navigable by even the first time visitor.

What are the basic elements of any web design text content?

The typeface and fonts are the basic elements of any website design text content.

Typeface:

First let us see the types of typeface. There are two types of typefaces, namely Serif and Sans serif. The short line that is present at the end of the main stroke/s of any character/letter ...
... is called Serif. Serif is a semi-structural detail at the end of the main strokes and decorates the symbols or letters. The meaning of the word sans is without. This implies that Sans serif refers to the typeface without the serif (short line).

It becomes difficult to show the difference between the two typeface because this article is going to be posted in only one typeface by default. Here is a small exercise to show the difference between the two typefaces. Take for consideration the letter L and apply the fonts Verdana and Georgia. The letter L typed in Verdana font will not have any short lines at the end of the two main strokes. On the other hand when the letter L is typed in Georgia font there will be short lines at the end of the two strokes (both vertical and horizontal). This means that the Verdana font has a Sans Serif typeface while the Georgia font has a Serif typeface.

Research has revealed that the legibility of sans serif typeface is better than that of serif typeface. This means that the sans serif typeface is quite clear to be read.

While legibility refers to the clarity for reading, readability refers to the ease with which any text can be read. Studies have also revealed that when there is lot of text in the sans serif typeface the eyes can get fatigued hampering the readability of the text content.

This implies that the head lines should be in Sans Serif typeface while the copy of the website design should be serif typeface.

Some of the most common Sans Serif fonts are Lucida Sans, Geneva (Mac), Lucida Grande, Trebuchet MS, Tahoma and Verdana

The Serif fonts that are usually used are Palatino Linotype, Georgia and Times New Roman.

A professional website design services company can throw more light on the niceties of this vital element of web design.

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