The Right Font

Mike C · 04-09-06, 12:44 PM

When I first began designing, I freely chose any font to stick on my image. As I gained more experience I learned that I simply couldn't choose just any font, but I had to choose one that fits the theme of the image.

I've spent minutes, hours, and even days searching for the "right" font to complete the image. Just how important is the right font? Will a "wrong" font make a large negative impact on the image?

**Baby Boy** · 04-09-06, 06:47 PM

Fonts are a necessity on designing a good template. Its up to you to choose the right one in the end. Not all fonts will look right blended with a certain style of image or graphic or whatever, so if it looks negative to other, it may look positive to you. Just feel the flow and choose your own "positives" and "negatives" is the best I can tell you.

Mike C · 04-09-06, 09:14 PM

That's true; not everyone will think the "right" font is right. What about showing a select few a preview of the image with different fonts? Would that give me a good idea of how the visitors will react?

On the side, that will also develop hype if the select few approve.

anne · 04-11-06, 06:01 PM

I must just be wierd - I think the only right font for web pages is a sans serif one. For logos / titles other fonts can be nice, but for content / large chunks of text, I think you need something very easy on the eye.

e2thehu · 06-01-06, 10:16 PM

Personally, I don't like fancy fonts. I like professional looking ones. Something that looks nice, but not showy. Subtle and yet demanding. Times New Roman, in my opinion, is one of the best fonts out there. There are others, of course, that are just as good, if not better.

sopaman · 06-09-06, 04:23 PM

I do think that sans serif fonts work best on web pages, much as I like Times New Roman on paper, I don't think it works as well on screen.

I used to use various sans serif fonts, mostly arial but recently was reading up on fonts a bit and discovered (belatedly) Verdana, and that it was designed specifically as an on-screen font. I changed over one of my websites to Verdana and was immediately impressed. The spacing, width/high of the characters really seems to work well. I don't use anything else for normal text now.

I think there are area when ease of use (reading) and familiarity for users are more important than putting your personal finishing touches to a page, and fonts are a prime example, I feel.

**Max** · 06-09-06, 10:03 PM

Typography is definitely one of the top most important visual factors of a website. I think a lot of people undervalue it.

mxer210 · 06-09-06, 10:56 PM

Linotype.com has a lot of good ones, and categorized, so I usually just chose one from there and buy it.

**Baby Boy** · 06-09-06, 11:07 PM

Wow, you have to buy... hopefully their word's look professional. But to me, I think that's instead of "FEATURE PACKED" text (with emboss, outter fade, stroke's, etc) you should focus on professionalism as well as a clean and smooth logo as well as look. And gradients are good, but make sure you make it look smooth... a lot (including me, throw gradients and think WOW... that's definitely something worth site material.)

Slashmire · 06-10-06, 02:15 AM

Well judging from experience from a company I had to work with, think of the font ahead of time and if you are about to say "well I'll put it on and see how it looks." then it means you didn't spend enough time on it....I must have heard that sentence 10-15 times for the same project...each time with a different font/image