How To Find The Right Typeface For Your Web Designs

1. Use Fonts That Have Different Tones

Font choice can express personality and a certain tone of voice. The letterforms we use influence our perception and approach to interpreting messages. For instance, serif fonts are highly formal and corporate, whereas sans serif are often light, bouncy and fun. Typefaces have distinct identities that can add meaning to the words they display. When choosing your web fonts, consider combining varying tonal typography to add visually pleasing contrasts.

The key consideration with web typography is highlighting the distinction between header and body copy; this will help the user to discern when one subject ends and another begins, without any page interaction. Headings typically offer more creative freedom when using stylised typefaces due to their greater size and importance. For body copy, you need a font that’s visually digestible in a smaller font size and weight – we love Lato, Museo Sans and Montserrat!

2. Create Visual Hierarchy With Font Pairing

With the idea of visual hierarchy in mind, consider making your font pairing noticeably different. An example is not using a bold font weight with a sans serif typeface in a header whilst using a thicker body copy font; this will lead to indistinct and messy page layouts. We’re aiming for distinct combinations of typefaces that are visually different but still aesthetically complement each other.

3. Limit Web-Fonts To Three Or Less

In the vast majority of web designs, you’ll be using one font for headers and another for body copy. In some cases, a third may be used for highlighting, creative or decorative purposes such as overlaying on imagery for depth or even for shadow usage. Upwards of three font choices, we would deem too busy and take away from the clear-cut visual hierarchy and simple navigation of content we are trying to achieve.

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