Web design: Choosing a font for your website

Whether through a shared social media post or a simple search on the Internet, most of your consumer’s first glimpse of your brand will come from your website. How your website looks will determine whether people take the next step to do business with you. 

One common website mistake that companies make is choosing an unreadable font. Researchers at MIT found that fonts influence how people feel. Using a bad font could negatively impact the way people interact with your website. To help you avoid choosing a bad font, our Omaha web design experts want to share these tips.

What is a font?

In the design world, a font is a set of characters that can have varied sizes, colors and designs. This set of characters can be numbers, symbols, alphabets and even punctuation marks. A common mistake that people make is using the term “font” and “typeface” interchangeably. However, there is a slight difference between the two. Typeface refers to the design and variations of the font. 

The four types of fonts

When it comes to fonts, there are four main types of fonts - serif, sans serif, hand-written script, and display. 

Serif = traditional and reliable 

Sans serif = modernism, strength, and style

Hand-written scripts = cursive fonts 

Display = unique and expressive 

Fonts and web design

It takes only 0.5 seconds for your website visitors to form an opinion of your website, and 94 percent of that judgment is based on the website’s design. If your company’s website has an unreadable font, they are most likely going to click off. 

When updating your existing site or designing a website for your start-up, you should set time aside to pick the correct font. Choosing the correct font ensures Internet users find what they are looking for and make a return. Some things to consider when picking a font that Omaha web design experts recommend are:

Readability 

Size

Spacing 

Colors

Loading time

Some of the worst website fonts

Comic Sans MS

There is a reason why people make jokes about Comic Sans MS. This font is one of the most basic fonts that is installed on every Windows computer. Companies should avoid using this font on their website because it gives a “child-like” look. 

Brush Script MT

Even if you have Brush Script MT on your company’s logo, you should not try to use this kind of font on your website. This kind of font is difficult to read, even for display fonts. Keep it on your social media posts or logos.

Some of the best website fonts

Lato

Lato is part of the sans serif typeface that was designed by Lukasz Dziedzic, a Warsaw-based designer. It is great for websites because it gives a warm, clear and strong feeling. 

Montserrat

Montserrat is a sans serif typeface that is considered one of the best web fonts to choose from. This font’s geometric look makes it easy to read regardless of how big or small it is. It is considered a bold and youthful font.

Hire an Omaha web design company for your website redesign! 

Whether you are looking to redesign your current website or create a brand new website, hire Monstrous Media Group. Our web designers and developers will build you a custom website giving your company the professional brand and technology it deserves. Contact us to learn about our web design and development services.