There are many details to consider while building a stunning website. Some things frequently get neglected in the process of selecting a pixel-perfect background image and an excellent colour scheme. But if there’s one thing you shouldn’t forget, it’s the fonts on your website. Typography isn’t just the icing on the cake of a beautiful website; it’s the glue that holds all of the UI design aspects together. But with so many typefaces at your disposal, picking the ones that work best for your product might feel like navigating a labyrinth. We’ve put together a step-by-step approach for selecting the right font for your website to assist you along the path.
Difference Between A Font And A Typeface
Let’s clarify this highly contentious issue before we go into the specifics of selecting fonts. The phrases “font” and “typeface,” which have different meanings, are frequently used synonymously. A typeface is a family of linked typefaces, whereas a font refers to the weights, widths, and styles that make up a typeface. Serif, Sans-serif, and Decorative typefaces are the three different types of typefaces. There are many factors to take into account when selecting fonts, including the audience, the product or service being offered, and the identity of your brand. Choosing the perfect font shouldn’t be a snap decision because there are so many different font designs available, each bringing its mood and style to the table. Consider the following procedures as a list of things to keep in mind when you begin looking at fonts.
1. Discover Your Inspiration
It’s a good idea to take some time to look at what other people are doing even though you may already have a few font designs in mind. Fortunately, there is a tonne of font inspiration websites on the internet, like Typewolf, where you can find countless font suggestions and lists to inspire your creativity. You may get some fantastic ideas of what is available by checking up on typography on Pinterest or even by following typography hashtags on social media.
2. Think About Your Brand, Tone, And Persona
Although it’s feasible to have typography that’s specific to your product thanks to the virtually infinite variety of fonts available on the web, things can rapidly get too complicated—especially if you have no idea where to start. That is why it is critical to thoroughly analyze both the objective of your product and your target audience.
What emotions do you want visitors to your website to have when they first arrive? Do you wish to create a welcoming environment? Do you want the website to have an upscale, friendly, fun, or serious vibe? Will your website be primarily text-driven or more aesthetically oriented (graphics like photographs, animations, and video)? It will be much simpler to determine which typeface aligns with your product and message once you have provided answers to these questions and have restricted your options for typefaces.
3. Less Is More
While it may be alluring to incorporate several typefaces into a single design, doing so may create an overly complicated or crowded user interface. Starting with fonts from the same family is something we advise (aka a single typeface). Using just one typeface can offer your interface a more unified appearance because fonts from the same typeface were designed to coexist together. Try to stick to three typefaces at most if you have any expertise working with typography or if you have your heart set on more than one.
Sticking to one or two typefaces shouldn’t make you feel constrained because many typefaces still have a wide enough range to ensure that you have enough font variations for various needs. Examples of features in some typefaces that enable more imaginative arrangements include italics, extended, bold, and condensed alternatives. Your typeface of choice should ideally have enough variety so you can select your primary, secondary, and tertiary typefaces from the same family. Let’s examine these three categories in considerable detail:
Primary Font
Your primary font will be the most noticeable font on your page and will be used for all larger texts, including headers (and even logos). It must convey the brand’s identity as a result, so you can be a little more imaginative and bold when selecting your main typeface.
Secondary Font
The majority of your article will be written in your secondary font. An article or description on your page should be clear and simple to read without exertion because it will be in your secondary font.
Tertiary (Accent) Font
The majority of the time, website components like a navigation menu or CTA button will use accent fonts. They should be noticeable enough to draw users’ attention and convey crucial information, yet understated enough to not compete with or distract from your primary and secondary typefaces.
4. Consider The Readability
Readability should be the top consideration when selecting a font, especially a secondary font, and some typefaces are regarded to be more legible than others. The most widely used serif typefaces include Georgia and Times New Roman. If a serif font better suits your preferred aesthetic, these default font types are a wonderful place to start and are considered to be highly readable. Sans-serif fonts are known for having a more modern and clean design than their serif equivalents, which generally implies they adapt themselves better to viewing material on interactive screens. Serif typefaces, the standard for print, are usually acclaimed as being more readable. Arial, Futura, and Helvetica are a few examples of legible sans-serif fonts.
5. The Fonts Must Be Scalable
Certain typefaces are visible when viewed at larger proportions, whereas types with particularly fine letters or highly ornamented designs may crack at smaller settings. When integrating typography into your user interface, it’s imperative to make sure your fonts are scalable. Fonts that can be scaled up or down without distorting are known as scalable fonts, outlier fonts, or vector fonts. Each character’s outline is saved as a mathematical formula. Scalable fonts have the additional benefit of maximizing the resolution of an output device in addition to providing countless sizes of each typeface. A scalable font will seem better with a higher monitor resolution.
Choose a typeface that is suitable for multiple sizes that encourages readability and usefulness in every size if your font system (a family of fonts used throughout your product) includes typefaces meant for multi-use, from small labels to larger headlines and bulk content. Lato, Univers, and Avenir are a few among them. Make sure to test the font scalability in your interface with actual text rather than a Lorem Ipsum placeholder. You’ll have a more accurate understanding of how well they scale by doing this.
6. Pay Attention To Font Load Times
Selecting typefaces that are compatible with web browsers is something that most designers frequently forget to do. Very few individuals can tolerate lengthy loading times. The UX of your site could potentially be harmed by slow loading times. Web-based font files are available from widely used font libraries like Google Fonts and can be displayed flawlessly and without any problems on a browser. Never download more character sets, languages, or styles than necessary while downloading web fonts.
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The majority of internet content is still available in text, despite the web is brimming with gorgeous-looking visual design components like motion graphics, art, and photography. In actuality, 90% of website content is written in typography. As a result, the significance of font design must not be undervalued because it can directly affect user experience and, as a result, make or break your website. Always test how your fonts appear on various devices and screen sizes to ensure that your website is readable enough for your users’ complete reading comfort.
Consider your design goal first when deciding which font design will work best for you. Once you’ve decided on the overall direction you want to take, choose the number of fonts you’ll need, and then begin searching the internet for potential font combinations. You can choose from a wide range of options, so you’re sure to discover something that suits you. Adding a typeface to your WordPress website is simple after you’ve found the ideal one.
