The amazing content you are providing them with is nothing if it is not legible. Font size and style are extremely important, and can seriously alter the effect of your landing page. Depending on your intended audience, the font size may need to be increased for better visibility. Also, limit the use of too many different fonts, colors, and sizes. This can be distracting and misleading. Only bold or change the font color of content that is of enough importance that it should stand out from the rest.
a. Font style should be “sans-serif” meaning “without serifs”. Serifs are the ‘feet’ found on font types like Times New Roman, and sans-serif fonts are fonts like Arial, Helvetica, and Geneva. Sans-serif fonts are found to be easier to read on screen, which is opposite of that in print, in which serif fonts (i.e. Times New Roman) are said to be easier.
b. On the main bodies of content, use only 10-12 size fonts as they are the easiest for the eye to read. Anything larger or smaller can be difficult, unless intending to reach an older or visibly challenged market, then larger fonts may be suitable. Line spacing should be sufficient also.
c. Attempt to be consistent with font size, color, and styles. Don’t use a wide range of any of these aspects.
d. Underlines should not be used in regular text. People have been trained to believe anything with an underline is a hyperlink. For emphasis, carefully consider other methods like bolding, italicizing, different sizes, text color, or background color. However, again, only words or phrases with extreme emphasis should differentiate from the rest. It is important not to overwhelm or send the wrong message to the customer.
e. Text should always be left-justified, not centered or justified for equal-length lines. Headlines and titles can be centered, if need be, however, text, especially body text and bulleted lists, should be left-justified. The jagged ends of unjustified text have been shown to increase reading speed and comprehension.
f. Try not to use text in all capital letters-it is harder for people to read.
g. Lines with more than 50 characters have been shown to be harder to read. To avoid this, place “hard breaks” (or forced carriage returns) in paragraphs to avoid lines being too long when your text is displayed on computers with wider monitors.
h. When it comes to text and background color, black text on a white background is always easiest to read. Unless you are intentionally trying to deemphasize something, steer clear of low-contrast text and background colors, as the words will be difficult to see. Also, using reverse treatment of fonts (lighter text on a darker background) can be difficult at times, so use this effect with caution.
i. When inserting a hyperlink, try to stick with the blue font color, and the purple color for previously visited links, as these are the de facto standard. Unless you have an extremely compelling reason, do not use different colors.
j. Try not to use high-contrast graphical images as background for text. White backgrounds are the best, and navigation and header colors should be of a relatively light color to enhance legibility.
By Bridgid Shea- Marketing Coordinator for The Computer Company
