Typography And Its Impact On The Psychology Of Your Customers
Whether you want to start a new website or improve on your existing site, typography is an important consideration to make. After all, the majority of a site is typically made up of a lot text and choosing the right typography can make it easier to read and create a visual hierarchy, which both contribute to the success to a site. According to Connor Turnbull:
…typography is not some random spur of the moment decision, there’s many factors and values that should be considered to generate well-tailored typography that not only looks good, but provides the functional advantage of being easier to read and take value away from.
Fonts: Readability and Contrast
Font styles are an important consideration in typography. Different fonts can convey different feelings. Most often, the most important considerations when choosing a font are readability and contrast. According to Amanda Downie on CommonPlaces.com:
Many sites today choose a sans-serif font such as Arial, Verdana, or Helvetica as their base font because they are familiar and very easy to read on screens. They also come standard, so by choosing fonts such as these, you can be sure that the text will visually be the same on every screen.
If you want to use some alternate fonts, a good place to find them is Google Web Fonts. They have a large library of web-ready fonts that you can choose from if you prefer something out of the ordinary.
Hierarchy
Some parts of your site are more important than others and typography can be used to emphasize this. Typically, hierarchy is decided by the size of the font, but you can also use a different readable font or change the weight or color of the text to achieve the same effect and give it a different feel. Amanda goes on to say that:
Many websites choose to use a different font because font choice can be just as effective of defining your site’s personality as images and graphics. With prominent hierarchal text, such as menu items, page titles, and other header text, you can take advantage of using a unique font because you know the reader won’t have to spend much time reading it.
Alignment
Alignment is another key aspect of typography and can impact the overall look of your site. Danielle Hill says on BOPDesign.com:
Alignment helps keep the look of a piece unified. A flush left or flush right alignment gives the piece a stronger edge line for the viewer’s eye to follow. It also tends to give a more sophisticated look than a centered alignment, which is often the choice of typography novices.
Conclusion
Typography is such a basic part of design. Design novices tend to overlook its importance but it’s hard to deny just how much of an impact it has when you take a look at a page and see how much text there is and how it affects the overall design. Danielle Hill says:
When using a designer, or a design firm, make sure to review samples of their work. If you have a difficult time feeling connected to the piece, ask yourself a simple question, ‘Is it the content that just doesn’t grab you (maybe because it’s something you have no interest in), or is it something more?’ When you are reviewing drafts and you don’t question the typography because it isn’t an issue and you get the feeling and the meaning of the content, then the design firm has done their job, and done it well.
The art of Typography is a complex one so don’t be surprised if there will be those instances where reading a particular webpage feels wrong and it has nothing to do with the content. Make sure you take the time to go over the different aspects of typography, preferably with a web design team to make sure your site has that right feel.
