Readable Fonts - our faves!
This month we are thinking about fonts and on-screen readability.
Did you know that studies have shown it is harder for people to read on a screen than from a printed page?
Humans develop language skills naturally throughout early childhood, but reading is a skill that must be taught and studied. Many people never learn to read. Further, studies have shown that people read more slowly and less carefully when reading on a screen. Humans are wired to utilize their available cognitive bandwidth efficiently, end result: users resist reading online because it takes effort.
Designers employ many tactics to increase readability and comprehension. Font choice and layout is one choice that can make a big difference for users.
Your font choice should convey your message in a way that it comes through loud and clear. Your font should be easy to read while also conveying key aspects of your brand—as it is a key component of your of your online identity. The fonts you choose not only impact how people perceive your brand, it also determines what information they walk away with.
We’ve compiled a list of our favorite fonts, serif and sans alike:
Helvetica - this sans-serif font is so beloved by designers around the world, someone made a movie about it!
Roboto - this is another great sans-serif that we love to use in data grids due to it’s highly readable nature and compactness.
Rooney - a reader-friendly serif font with a little more character (pun intended) than the old standards.
Futura - no list of fonts would be complete with our brand fave, Futura.
Open Dyslexic - a typeface designed to combat symptoms of dyslexia may have applications beyond the designated intent.
Bionic Reading - not a font per se, but also designed with neurodiversity in mind. Bionic reading alter onscreen text, therefore altering the look and feel of the font, by highlighting the initial letters to create artificial fixation points and enabling the brain to process information more quickly.
The white space around your text is also a key factor in readability. Back in my design for print days, we invoked the golden ratio and used a special calculation to determine line height based on font size and column width. These days, screens are responsive; font-size and column width varies greatly from viewport to viewport. Luckily smarter people than us have tackled the issue; start with a line-height of 150% for maximum readabliltiy and adjust from there to fit your specific purpose.
