Fonts and typography are important design aspects for your website -- and there are a lot of factors that can determine which type of font you choose. Fonts are like first impressions, they can often give your visitors an idea of what your business or website is for the moment it loads. But fonts can also be complex -- they should be "read" correctly by the browser.
Types of Fonts
Fonts online come in two basic styles: sans serif and serif. Basically, serif fonts are fancier fonts because they often have embellishments. This can take the form of tails, dots, feet and little flourishes. Think of them as the prettier fonts and are generally considered to be more artistic. They are easier to read because the human brain distinguishes these letters easily -- the embellishments allow the brain to define each individual letter more. These types of fonts are normally used for documents and main body text for text-heavy websites.
Sans Serif means they lack these embellishments -- sans serif fonts often feature cleaner, more businesslike lines. They are easier to feature on many sites simply because lines load cleaner and can be read from a distance. Think of them as headline fonts -- big, bold, clean and easy. As text fonts, they can be a bit harder to read because the fonts are not easy to distinguish in a bunch.
There are also other styles, such as cursive fonts, fancy fonts and monospace fonts. These are rarely used for websites except as design elements simply because cursive/fancy fonts are harder to read. Monospace fonts, on the other hand, can be boring and are normally used for printed text or editing because each letter occupies the same amount of space and is easier to read.
Conveying a Feel
Selecting the best type of font for your website depends on two things: content and feel. What emotion do you want to invoke in your visitors? Sans serif fonts, for example, give the impression of a modern, less cluttered look. They are perfect for captions and headlines, but not for huge walls of text, like in a blog. Serif fonts are wonderful for text but also convey a sense of warmth and often have a traditional feel.
Feel free to mix two or more fonts on your site to come up with the feel you want. Your web design company will often offer you a selection of fonts to use, as well as alternates for browsers and pre-installed on different computers. PCs and Macs, for example, use different fonts, so you may need to find one that looks good on both. However, many browsers are optimized for favourite fonts like Helvetica so in some cases it is a moot point.
In some cases, mixing it up might be good. Study newspapers or check out a few typography sites for ideas to discuss with your web designer. If your web design company has an in-house expert on typography, make sure you set aside some time to discuss this with him or her.
Typography's effect on a website is subtle. It plays on the familiar and on the visitor's subconscious, subtly inviting them to read more or to click on a bold headline. Again, it is determined by how you want your website to feel and what you are selling.
Readability
The most important part of choosing fonts for your website is readability. Many websites force readers and visitors away with too-little text. The average (and consistent) size is around 12 points, but larger sizes get more readers. You also have to consider leading (the space between lines of text) and tracking (the space between letters). Online, letters squeezed in together are extremely difficult to read. Too much space, however, and you end up with large blanks that just look terrible on the site.
Finally, colour is an important thing to consider for both readability and overall feel. Cool colours and warm colours convey different meanings. Light colours against light backgrounds are very difficult to read. When in doubt, go for black fonts against a white background and experiment from there.
Combining types of fonts, design elements and considering readability are very important elements for a successful website. A great web design team can help you create the best-looking website possible, with fonts that both draw attention and keep your visitors intrigued.
