How to choose your fonts?

What do (virtually) all textual content on the internet have in common? Whether written for SEO purposes, to attractively showcase products on a website, or to inform internet users about a current event, what unites them is their objective: to be read! While this may seem basic, the issue is far more complex than one might think. For your content to be read, it must first be readable, ideally by the widest possible audience. Grammar certainly plays a role, but here we are referring to the purely visual aspect: your fontIf you've never really paid attention to this "detail," this article is for you!

A font, What is that ?

La fontThis is, in a way, the "look" of the words that make up your text, their form, if you prefer. Whether you're reading a novel, a website, a newspaper article, a billboard, the ingredients on a food package, a company logo… the text in question is visually harmonized in a certain way. This appearance concerns the letters, but also the numbers, symbols, punctuation, and all the other characters that can be used. Fonts are grouped into families and can be extremely different from one another. Thus, while some are considered professional, others can be rather playful, literary, and so on. Some have even acquired an extraordinarily negative reputation, like the much-maligned Comic Sans. Click here to know more on the history of fonts.

How are the different ones distinguished? fonts ?

As we mentioned, the fonts are organized into several categories, 5 to be exact:

• Serif fonts, which include serifs;
• Sans-serif fonts, without serifs, also called linear fonts;
• Monospace fonts, where all characters have exactly the same width;
• Cursive, or script, fonts that imitate handwriting;
• Decorative or special fonts.

Font and inclusive writing: an impossible marriage?

Where things get complicated is choosing a font, at least if you want your text to be easily readable by the widest possible audience. Unfortunately, it's not simply a matter of personal preference. Until recently, fonts were largely chosen based on current trends, almost always favoring serif fonts for print and sans-serif typefaces for digital media. However, not everyone has the same reading abilities, and more specifically, not everyone has the same way of reading. font can simplify their task or, on the contrary, complicate it.

Since the advent of theinclusive writingIn particular, it is good practice to show more consideration. The idea is to ensure that our communication habits, whether oral or written, do not risk becoming a source of exclusion. While egalitarian writing is gradually becoming more common, the accessibility of typography is also being questioned.

Fortunately, there are now fonts that take into account the needs of dyslexic people or those who, for whatever reason, may struggle to decipher text on the web.

To increase your visibility, choose an inclusive font.

There are both fonts These fonts are specifically designed to offer optimal readability to the widest possible audience. However, you might not find them ideal for the aesthetics of your website, for example. A good rule of thumb is to avoid "extravagant" fonts with embellishments that could hinder readability, and instead opt for simple typefaces, preferably sans-serif.

To do it right, limit yourself to two or three different fonts across your entire site, maximum. This way, you won't risk overloading your pages. Feel free to use Google Fonts to download modern fonts, which you can select based on the type of text and their compatibility with the desired size.

Typography: the art and the method

La font The text should be as easy to read as possible. For this, aim for a font size between 14 and 20 pixels for the desktop version of your site. For a tablet version, 13 to 19 pixels is ideal, and for a mobile version, 12 to 16 pixels. 

Don't neglect line spacing either, which helps to space out your text for better reading comfort. Opt for line spacing between 100% and 150% of your font size. Too much space is just as bad as too little!

You will also need to choose whether or not to justify your text. Justification is often preferred because it gives the text a cleaner look. However, this type of layout requires the eye to work harder to locate the beginning of each line and compensate for the uneven spacing within the text.

If you wish to learn more about this topic, consult the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (W3C), the international organization that standardizes the web.

Essential when creating any content for the web, the choice of font It has more ramifications than one might think. The accessibility of your content is as important as the information it presents and, as such, deserves your full attention.