Web Site Design Tips - The Right Font

In this installment of web design tips, we're going to cover the topic of fonts. This is something that gets a lot of people into trouble when designing their web site. There are more problems that you can get into with fonts than probably anything else when it comes to web design. The reason is because there are just too many ways that you can mess up your fonts to the point where people won't be able to read what's on your page at all. Well, this article will hopefully warn you of the main pitfalls of faulty font design. So pay careful attention.

The first area where people usually foul up when designing their web site is by choosing fancy fonts that they dug up on some bargain basement font site that nobody has heard of. The reason this is a problem is because just because you have a font on your computer doesn't mean that the person seeing your site has the same font. See, when people get their browsers, whether they be IE or Firefox, or whatever, they come with certain fonts that are standard. And when I say standard, I mean fonts that are universally accepted as the main fonts that all browsers should come with. So, if you start including fonts that aren't in the standard list, you run the risk of visitors not being able to read your page correctly. So while it's fun to be fancy, stick with the standard fonts that came with your computer so that everybody can view your site the way it was intended to be viewed.

The next problem people run into with fonts is color. By default, if you are using a web authoring tool like Dreamweaver, Front Page or even a free tool, the background color of your page is going to white. So, you want to make your fonts colors that are going to be easy to read on a white background. If you make any of your fonts white, guess what? They won't be readable at all. So, the rule of thumb is simple. On a white or light colored background, you want dark color fonts. On a black or dark colored background, you want light colored fonts.

The next problem people run into is font size. There is a reason why there are default sizes for headings and regular text. These are the sizes that have been tested to bring the best results. So if you are going to do a heading, stick with the main h1 tag. Don't start creating fonts that are either so big that they look stupid or so small that people can't read them. Use your common sense here.

The main thing you must do, regardless of what fonts you choose, is to make sure you preview your site before you let it go live. Be honest with your evaluation of the look. If you think it looks bad, then most likely others will think it looks bad as well.

Choosing the right fonts for your web pages is not rocket science. Most of it is common sense. But if you have any doubts, let another person look at it before you go live with it. It may make the difference between a successful site and one that totally bombs out.

To YOUR Success