YOUR FONT CHOICES MATTER MORE THAN YOU THINK | PENNInk Productions

[Liz Seyi]

You might expect our experts in business website design at PENNInk Productions to talk up the importance of attention to detail across your online presence, but we would be right to do so. In any case, many ‘small’ aspects of a brand’s website are far from small; consider, for example, the fonts you use on your website, and how you use them.
Is it that big a deal whether you choose one font for your website over another? Well, it certainly can be, given the implicit message your choice of font will communicate about your brand. You need to take the time to consider carefully possible fonts for your website, so that you can be sure of your ultimate choice conveying the brand values you wish it to convey.
Let me take you on a quick journey through some of the factors to think about when determining the typographic approach you take to your business website design.
Fonts should be well matched to your brand
Branding experts will always tell you about the importance of consistency with the branding elements that your company uses; think such things as the company logo, the colours you use across your online and offline marketing, your tone of voice, and so on. And yes, your website fonts will be one of those elements.
By the time you decide on the fonts for your website, you should be sure about your brand identity and values already. The right fonts – across everything from the homepage and other landing pages to your online store product pages and blog articles – will help prospective customers to feel that they can trust your brand. So, think carefully about what a potential font would communicate about your business, and how it would fit in with your broader brand style.
Establish a strong typographic hierarchy
Brands are often advised to restrict two or three different fonts on their website. The reason for this is simple: by keeping the number of different fonts low, you can help set out a clear hierarchy, so that it is obvious which areas of text – such as major headings – represent the ‘main’ ones, and which areas of text are secondary in importance. Good examples of the latter would include the font you use for your blog posts or ecommerce store’s product descriptions.
The primary font you use on your site – for headings – must be visible and attractive in order to capture attention. However, as far as the secondary font is concerned – for page copy, it is readability that is key, so that you can maximise the chances of readers staying on your site for longer.
While two fonts will be ample for many brands, some may need to introduce a third font – for example, for the creation of eye-catching calls to action (CTAs) promoting urgent, time-limited offers and promotions.
Think carefully about font sizing
There isn’t any single golden rule as to what sizes you should use for your website’s typefaces. However, you might wish to avoid using fonts in sizes smaller than 12px, given that especially small texts may compromise readability for some viewers of your site. Always keep in mind the needs of designing for those with visual impairments.
Again, you will need to account for hierarchy; you shouldn’t opt for sizes that might leave readers confused as to what is a heading, a subtitle, or paragraph text. Similarly, you should be careful in how you use the likes of bold, italicised and underlined words in your website text, as this can also interfere with easy comprehension of the typographic hierarchy.
Fonts, as the above makes clear, are by no means a ‘small’ element of your business website design, so when it comes to this and other aspects of your brand’s online presence, it pays to consult experts. Give the PENNInk Productions team a call today, on 020 8144 7931, and we will be pleased to advise and guide you on the services we could provide for your brand.