What is typography?
Well, the answer has more variations than we might think. It is not only the styles of fonts we use – it’s also about the composition and arrangement of information to convey meaning to guide the reader. We might say that it is closely related to UX design.
Before suggesting typography tips for a website, there are certain typography mistakes that designers make, that should be kept in view to avoid any errors. A well-executed typography makes the use of generous leading and line spacing to give reader a memorable and hassle free experience thus letting them focus more on the gist of the text. Web accessibility demands to refrain from using justified text as it might cause problems for readers to read the text especially people with certain disabilities such as dyslexia. With simple justified text and use of italics, the uneven variation in spacing makes the text more difficult to read.
Italics make it hard to read letters. Unlike non-italic fonts, italicized letters have a jagged line and lean over, which makes it difficult for dyslexic readers to decipher the words. The smaller the text, the harder it will be for us to make out what it says. Instead, the letters must be highlighted in bold format to give them better clarity and contrast. To improve accessibility and avoid confusion, websites should use as few fonts as possible and various research works have shown that sans serif are better on the web.
Here are some tips to consider when designing accessible website:
- Use generous leading and line spacing
- Steer clear of justified text
- Say no to Italics
- Pepper generous letter spacing in your text
- Use larger text size
- Develop a habit of using sans serif typefaces
- Use concise and clear writing
- Offer plenty of contrast for the benefit of the eye
Related: Dyslexia-Friendly Fonts To Facilitate Learning
It is no rocket science to implement above methods as they only require a basic knowledge of HTML. Making your website more accessible need not be time consuming. Designers as well as developers are required to have a proper knowledge about accessibility and how to and consider it within various stages of building a website.
