When people visit a website, odds are that they will first look at the images, color designs, and the typography in web design. No matter how well a website has been designed, users depend on text to accomplish their goal on your website. This alone makes typography a priority for anyone seeking to create a website.
Importance of Typography in Web Design
In layman’s language, the terms typography and font have very little difference, and most people usually interchange them. However, when it comes to website design, there is a lot more to typography than just the font. It actually plays a very important role in web design. In the past few years, most people have started to recognize the importance of typography in web design, and the latest trends being used have only served to reaffirm its role in the creation of responsive websites.
With typography being closely associated with web design, most people have gained a misconception that its aim is to make a website look beautiful. There is nothing further from the truth than that. The main aim of typography is to improve the readability. The aspect of beauty is just a bonus. With over 95% of a website being the content, and typography being the art of displaying this content, it is a very important aspect of web design.
Here is a look at some of the reasons why you should never take typography lightly when designing a website.
Typography puts forward the visual summary of your website
When visitors take a look at your website, they can tell from the first glance whether it is fun, serious or business like. A large part of this message is put forward using typography. When designing a website, its look and layout is complemented by the color choice, font and the way the content is arranged. This makes typography very important in designing a website, since it helps to capture the attention of visitors.
It guides readers through the content
While good content is required to build a website, it is not enough to make your website great. Content should be well presented if you want your website to offer visitors a great user experience. The solution to this lies in better utilization of typography in web design. Every aspect of typography, from the size, font, alignment and colors used, has a very huge impact on the way your content is perceived by the users. Using good typography on your website highlights the important parts of your content, which helps to draw in the attention of the visitors.
It helps to maintain the consistency of your website
Most internet users tend to look for order and familiarity when visiting a website. Your website should thus be built with a consistent design that makes it easy for users to go through it. Any inconsistencies on your site will only serve to frustrate the visitors.
Typography helps to maintain the consistency of your website by straightening and tidying up the content you have. This ensures that everything is clearly visible, making it easier for users to find what they want. It also helps to enhance the visitors’ experience, which in turn boosts your site’s conversion rates.
It adds beauty to your website
Typography helps to add beauty to your website by enhancing the appeal of your site’s content. It actually makes it more appealing to the visitors, which compels them to read it. However, it is essential to understand that typography, no matter how well it is used, will never turn bad content into great one. If the content posted on your site is not engaging, typography will only help to attract the users, but most of them will quickly realize the deception and move away from your site. As result, typography must always be complemented with good content.
Tips for Using Typography When Designing a Website
As already seen above, typography is an important part of web design, and it can help you to create a responsive website that offers visitors a great user experience. However, this can only be possible if it is done in the right way. If you are designing a website, here are some of the best typography tips that will help you create a great site.
Use web fonts sparingly
With the increased browser support for web fonts, web designers now have access to countless typefaces that were not available on the web a few years back. While access to these numerous fonts might tempt you to use many fonts, you should only choose the ones you need. Web fonts might improve the aesthetic appeal of your website, but using many of the altogether will affect the performance of the site. In most cases, such a situation will make your site slow. This in turn will lower the user experience, driving visitors to your website away.
Control the measure
Measure is defined as the amount of characters found in a single line of text. Balancing your site’s measure is essential when building a responsive website. If it is too wide, the readers will have a hard time switching from one line of text to the other. On the other hand, if the measure is too narrow, readers will require a lot of eye movement to switch from one line to the next.
Limit the use of font faces
When designing a website, you should make sure that you limit the font faces used. It is also a good idea to limit the use of font sizes and colors. This will help to minimize any kind of confusion on the part of the reader when reading content on your website.
Conclusion
Typography is without a doubt capable of influencing how users perceive or engage with your website. It also plays a huge role in content delivery, which in turn affects the conversion rates of your site. As a web designer, you should thus focus on the smart utilization of typography in web design, as it can have great results on your website.
