Choosing the Best Font for Your Website
When designing a new website, every detail is important. Your website is a reflection of your brand, your entity, your message and everything you hold most valuable and dear to your purpose. Why then, would you settle for a font that doesn’t convey what you want, or provide the clean, easy-reading experience you seek for your site visitors?
We’re in the business of web design, and we know that adding your own personal touches is the way to go. However, you also want to ensure that the styles you choose don’t hinder the overall experience your visitors have when they view your website. You want to make certain that the colors, images and fonts mesh well and leave a good and lasting impression for all site visitors.
Fonts can be tricky for some businesses though, as they want something that is clean but stands out from the ordinary. We know that it’s your website, but there are a few things you should consider when selecting the font you think will work best on your site.
1. Remember that your font is a part of your overall design. If it doesn’t coordinate with the design well, it could end up clashing and making the website look choppy and lose its “flow.” In the same breath, keep your font color in a shade that works with your design and your mission. If it’s happy, keep it bright. If it’s professional, keep it clean and monochromatic.
2. Be aware that not all fonts out there are web-compatible. The cleaner fonts will always work better on a website, which means that you’ll want to consider staying in the realm of Serif and Sans Serif fonts. However, if you’re absolutely sold on having fun and funky fonts, consider a letterpress style and incorporating it as a graphic into your design. That, in a nutshell, stands out from the crowd.
3. Mixing fonts on the site must be done with care and careful consideration. You want to make sure that your overall look and feel is cohesive, so if you start mixing and matching, it could end up looking like a hot mess. Try to keep your links and titles all the same for a more streamlined approached, and remember to keep it looking clean. If you don’t, your site could end up like a patchwork quilt.
At the end of the day, make it your own. There is no such thing as the “right” font to use, but there are definite design flaws, which could take away from your overall aesthetic. If you have a font you love, don’t be afraid to tell your designer. At the very least, it could, perhaps, be incorporated into the design to make sure you get what you want.
Melissa graduated from the University of Utah in 2008 with a degree in Editorial Journalism and a minor in French. After spending several years working in copy writing, grant writing and web marketing in Salt Lake City, Utah, she relocated to New Hampshire to work as the marketing coordinator for a non-profit ski destination. Melissa specializes in copy writing, web content, editing and social media.
