What the Font?

Understanding Typefaces on the Web

Do you operate a website, send out electronic newsletters or e-mail campaigns? Have you
ever experimented with the different fonts (typefaces) available? If you have, you probably
discovered there are numerous fonts available on your computer in some cases 100-200
or more. How then do you decide which font to use?

This article will give you a brief overview of choosing fonts for the internet, so that the next
electronic piece of information you send achieves the desired effect.

Where the Font Do We Start?

First, even though there are thousands of fonts available to us, each computer usually only
has a hundred or so installed for use. Different operating systems, and various other files
or programs you obtain can install various fonts on your computer and add to that number.
Those fonts are usually compatible across programs, meaning you will be able to use all of
your system fonts in any program. Let’s say your computer came pre-installed with 150
fonts. Then you bought a common software program that added 50 more fonts to your
computer. You now have 200 fonts you will be able to use in any program that is designed
to allow font selection.

Isnt that great? You instantly have more fonts to choose from. If youre working in print
materials or graphics, then you actually do have the freedom to choose whatever fonts you
want. However, if you are not printing the final version but instead delivering your material
via the internet, whether it be on a website, by email, or any other type of electronic media,
you dont actually have as much freedom as you may think. There are several factors to
take into consideration that could influence your choice, including perception, usability and
availability.

Perception

The typeface that you select needs to accurately reflect the mood of your message. Do
you want the tone conveyed to your reader to be formal or informal, friendly or serious,
professional or playful? If the message is of a professional and formal nature, then your
font should accurately portray that. But if the message is to a group of friends inviting them
to a party, you can have a little fun and take a more informal approach with your fonts.
Always consider the audience for which the piece is intended, and then choose a font that
achieves the perception you desire.

Usability

After you have established the intended audience for your message, make sure they can
actually read it! Many fonts are hard to read simply because they are so small in size (like
8 point or 10 point). Cursive and italic fonts can be hard on the eyes and are strongly
discouraged for the purposes of main bodies of text. Italics should only be used for
emphasis or as graphical elements. You also dont want your font too large, as this can
make it difficult for the eyes to scan across a large body of text. There are many fonts
available intended specifically for headings and logo text that would be inappropriate for
the main body of a message. To maximize usability, make sure to choose a font that is
legible and easy on the eyes.

Availability

This is the most easily overlooked aspect of font selection and can result in completely
unexpected results. To insure the recipient sees the same message style you created, the
fonts you use must be available on their computer. When you create a website for
example, the HTML code will call the font that is supposed to be displayed. This tells your
browser program what font it should display on that particular page. Even though you may
have 200 fonts installed on your computer and you see your fonts fine and dandy, that
doesnt mean that the person on the other end viewing your website has the exact same
fonts as you. In a case where he doesnt, his browser will substitute a different font of its
own choosing, which could completely change their perception of your intended message.
At the very least, they may think you were sloppy in putting your material together. Email
programs, and electronic newsletters, all work the same way. So bottom line, you need to
use fonts that you are positive your entire web audience will have available on their
computer. We call these Web-Safe fonts.

With thousands of fonts out there, youre probably thinking, No big deal, there are still
plenty of choices. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there are only 9. Yes, you
read that correctly, there are only NINE web-safe fonts that you can be assured are on
every single computer out there! Those fonts are Arial, Arial Black, Courier New, Comic
Sans, Georgia, Impact, Tahoma, Times New Roman, Trebuchet, and Verdana. Lets take a
couple of minutes to understand the differences in these fonts.

There are two basic types of fonts; serif or sans serif. Serif by definition has a fine line
finishing off the main strokes of a letter, or letters may end with a rounded tip. And sans is
a French term meaning without, so in the case of sans serif it would be without those fine
lines. The most common serif font is Times New Roman and the most common sans serif
font is Arial, both of which are web-safe fonts. Of the nine web-safe fonts there are only 3
serif fonts; Courier New, Georgia and Times New Roman. Serif fonts in very small text
sizes can be hard to read, therefore caution should be used when selecting those for small
print.

Arial

Arial was introduced as the default typeface for Windows 3.1 when it was released by
Microsoft in the early 1990s. It is not difficult to read unless used in very small sizes, and it
is the most popular sans serif font today. It is however quite plain, and people tend to get
bored of Arial because they see it every where. But, since its so widely available, easy to
read, and the default for Microsoft products, it is a great font to use for main content areas
of your marketing materials, newsletters, websites, etc.
Arial Black

Arial Black is one of many versions of Arial, released with Internet Explorer 3. It is a bolder
font than Arial and is great for headings and short sections of text that require emphasis.

Courier New

Courier New, a serif font, was primarily a font used in old typewriters. Not normally used as
main bodies of text, it is still used to display code in documents or when the writer wants
the old-fashioned typewriter look in their document.

Comic Sans

Comic Sans started shipping with Windows 95 as a preinstalled font. Designed to look like
comic book lettering, the font was created for informal copy. Regarded today as
unprofessional, this sans serif font is not recommended for materials of a professional
nature. Comic Sans became a more popular font when it started being used as the text
inside the tags on Beanie Babies!

Georgia

Georgia, a serif font, was created for Microsoft in 1993 to provide a clean font for use on
the web that would display well even in small sizes. Georgia font letters are taller than
most other web-safe fonts, making them easier to read when used in smaller sizes.
Georgia is a great alternative when youre tired of traditional Times New Roman, but still
want a serif font.

Impact

Impact is a very bold sans serif font. By its name, it was designed to impact the reader,
and is therefore recommended only for headings, small blocks of text, areas on the page
that you want to grab the readers eye. Because of its thick block style, Impact looks best
when there is plenty of space around it otherwise it looks cluttered.

Tahoma

Tahoma, a very close cousin of Verdana, was designed in 1999 for Microsoft. It is so
similar to Verdana that many dont see the difference in the fonts. Mainly, Tahoma keeps
its lettering tighter so that text does not spread out as far as Verdana does. Tahoma is a
great font option for those needing a sans serif font but who are getting bored of Arial.

Times New Roman

Times New Roman is the most widely used serif font, developed in 1931 for use by The
Times newspaper in London. It has remained a very popular font for setting type in books,
magazines, newspapers, etc. The U.S. State Department has been using Times New
Roman 14 point on all diplomatic documents since 1994, replacing their old font of choice
Courier New 12 point.

Trebuchet

Trebuchet was designed in 1996 for Microsoft and is a popular sans serif font for those
bored with the plain appearance of Arial. Having a definite style all its own, Trebuchet is
easy to read for large or small type and works well for main bodies of text. Due to its
unique styling though, it can be seen as a feminine font and if your audience is all men
they may not relate well to that font.

Verdana

Verdana, designed for Microsoft in 1996 is probably the most easy to read web-safe sans
serif font available. With its taller lettering, and more evenly spaced letters it can be easily
read in larger sizes as well as small sizes. It does extend the width of text on a page, so its
great for filling design that have a lot of space with a small amount of copy.

What Font do you Want?

Now that you understand the differences between the 9 web-safe fonts, which one will you
choose for your internet communications? If youre looking for a serif font, then Georgia is
our recommendation. It is the clearest serif font on the web, since it was designed for just
that purpose. If you are looking for a sans serif font, Verdana is the clearest on screen font
for readability and is our number one recommendation, with good old Arial pulling up a
close second.