HTML fonts determine how your
content or text will look when you learn
to design your web pages.
Most designers and site owners face the dilemma of
which font family and size to use from the very
start of their design project?
Why is this a dilemma? Two
reasons:
1. Not every
computer has ALL HTML fonts installed.
2. Some HTML fonts are
simply hard on the eyes and difficult to
read.
Let's tackle the first issue.
Computers have come a long way, and there are many
fonts available on newer computers today that
weren't available 10 years ago. But on the flip
side, graphic artists are always creating new
fonts. These new innovative fonts may look great,
but it doesn't mean every computer in the world
will display them correctly.
Why Computers Fail the
HTML Font Test
While your computer might be
fairly new and have all the latest bells and
whistles, this doesn't mean it will display every
font that's ever been designed. And you must think
of the millions of other Internet users in
cyberland, and the variety of computers being
used.... from different brands to different ages of
computers!
So just because you CAN
include a certain HTML font on your website, this
doesn't mean you should. Think of the audience to
your site. Think of whether or not their computer
will display the font at all. Play it safe and
stick with common fonts such as Arial, Times New
Roman and a few others that are popular and
pleasant to the eye.
The Look and Appeal of
Fonts
While it might be tempting to
use a fancy font on your web pages, it's not
recommended by most reputable designers. Why? Fonts
with curls, fancy cursive writing, etc. can damage
your site's readability to users.
The font might appear
"pretty" on the page while using your own computer,
but some people will have a difficult time actually
reading it. Also, you don't really know how it
might appear on their page with colors, size,
etc.
Font Family and
Size
The font family is the type
of font being used, such as Courier, Times New
Roman, Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, etc. The font
size determines how large or small your text will
be. When coding an HTML font, it's important to
specify both family and size. Keep in mind that
size will work differently depending on the font
family. For example, a size "10" lettering will
appear slightly larger for Arial fonts than for
Times New Roman.
Headline
Fonts
When sizing fonts, always use
"Heading" designations in your HTML code when
typing a web page headline or a subheading in your
content. This tells Google that it's an important
statement to boost your SEO! In code, these fonts
are written as ...
<H1>Your
Headline</H1>
<H2>Your
Headline</H2> - for slightly smaller
headlines, etc.
In CSS design, you can also
designate alternate font families within your code.
This lets browsers know which alternative font
family to use if a person's computer isn't working
with a certain type of font.
As Always the KISS Method
Rings True with Choosing a Font
Make an effort to keep your
web
design and page text
simple, using common fonts that every computer will
display. Being able to reach your target audience
in a practical way should be your top priority when
designing your web page and when choosing HTML
fonts!
Watch a Quick
Demonstration Video of Changing HTML Fonts in
Action
Choosing your font for
designing better web pages is just one class of
many you'll learn when you take the complete
website
design course for beginners.
Check it out today and get started in learning more
web designing skills.
