Web fonts — complicated in simple words

If you apply typography correctly, this is one of the most powerful tools on the Internet, and not only on the Internet. Robert Bringhurst was an initiator of this trend and designers draw a lot of information from his books. According to him, typography exists in order to show respect for the content. If typography is used correctly, it will reveal every element of text and page, regardless of whether it is a paper page or a web.

It all works on simple logic, as it may seem, but everything is much deeper. The rules of typography have been developed for many years, and yet not every designer can use them correctly. This is not only aesthetics, but it is also logic, prioritization in the text, drawing the reader’s attention to the elements that are important to you. It’s easy to guess that some fonts look better in headings, some in boring text. But it is much more difficult to put this knowledge into practice.

The main and most common fonts like sans serif fonts have wide settings, which designers often use. Most often, they have several languages in stock, have italics and fat content, you can also change intervals and heights. Fonts created by design lovers for personal purposes most often do not have such functions.

The most important thing in a font is not the font, no matter how silly it is. It is important to understand your project, its mood. What you already know and what you have to learn in the near future. When you understand your project from beginning to end, picking up a font will no longer be such a difficult task for you.

Start by defining the length.

It is necessary to determine the scope of the project before starting work. For a better understanding, the very minimum is creating a logo, or you can run a series of magazines that will be published for decades.

For large projects, it is better to choose not a specific font, but a large family. It always gives you room to maneuver in the future. Such families include dozens of varieties of similar fonts, a bunch of settings, and are constantly updated with new fonts.

But if your project is one-time, or just has a short period of time, you don’t have to choose a whole family of fonts. You most likely will not need any settings and boldness, your task is to determine one suitable font (or two), and work with it.

What information will your reader see? 

Formally, there are no rules on this topic, because aesthetics is a completely subjective concept. Nevertheless, you should think carefully about the material that you will be presenting. It is logical that the official documentation and the fan topic about Harry Potter should not be done with the same font. Do not select a font that is too aggressive if the text is soft and delicate, and do not do the opposite. Font color is also very important. It should correspond to both the page and the mood of the written. Suppose red color is considered aggressive and sexual, while blue is calmer and focused.