The Importance of Fonts in Website Design: How Typography Influences Reader Perceptions

Have you ever landed on a website and felt an immediate desire to read its contents or a strong urge to leave? The reason for this visceral response was most probably the font used on the web page. Surprised? You are not the only one. So, today we will discuss the importance of fonts in website design.

The Techtio website design team knows that it takes a very fine detail in the design of your font to attract or repulse users. How does it work? Let’s find out!

How Does the Choice of Fonts Impact a Website?

Fonts are the visual representation of your brand voice. Consider how you determine an individual’s personality by the way they speak. Their tone of voice and pronunciation make you think they are patient or in a rush, friendly or overly formal, approachable or distant.

The best fonts for a website have the same psychological impact on users. They feel encouraged to keep reading because they sense a friendly and relatable brand personality.

Or they feel a sense of authority and expertise, winning their trust.

These perceptions form in less than the blink of an eye. This is why your company site needs modern website fonts that align with your brand.

Effective Tips to Choose the Best Fonts for Websites

Let us focus now on the practical matter of selecting the fonts to use on your side. Web design best practices include the following aspects:

1. Brand Alignment

Your fonts should reflect your brand personality. A law firm might use serif fonts like Times New Roman or Georgia for their traditional, trustworthy feel. A daycare or school may use cursive fonts. For a tech startup we recommend clean sans-serif fonts like Roboto or Montserrat.

One of the biggest mistakes many small business owners make is picking a font because it looks nice, or trendy, or futuristic. If it does not match your brand image and line of business, users will feel the disconnect and leave your site.

2. Readability

The first and most important role of the font is this: people must be able to read it easily. They should not have to wonder if that is a capital i or a l. They should not have to squint or guess the word.

No matter how well a font looks, if it fails the readability test, you should not use it. One of the aspects the Techtio website design team uses in choosing fonts is mobile compatibility. Most of your visitors use their mobile phones to read your content. Thus, the best fonts for websites must be readable on all kinds of screens.

3. Accessibility

Some of your website visitors may have visual impairments or reading difficulties. To help them read and understand your content, consider these accessibility best practices:

• Use high contrast between the font and the background
• Avoid decorative fonts
• Use readable font sizes – minimum 16 pixels for body text
• Create a clear font hierarchy for headings and subheadings.

Technical Aspects of Choosing Professional Website Fonts

Last but not least, there are a few technical aspects to consider when choosing the best fonts for a website. One of them is the space between letters, known as kerning. If the characters do not have a consistent and adequate space between them, people may misread them. This may cause embarrassing situations for your brand, especially with letter combinations such as:

• cl
• LI
• Rt
• FI

The other issue relates to the readability of the font in various sizes. Remember that the font you choose for your website should be readable on a large 26-inch computer monitor and a 3.5-inch mobile phone screen.

Let Techtio Help You Find the Best Fonts for Your Website!

Now that you understand the importance of fonts in website design, let the Techtio specialists help you make the best choice. We can help you find the right font that matches your brand voice.

We can also design your unique font, helping you stand out and become more visible online. Contact us today to discuss the best font option for your site!