Website Top tip: Make sure fonts are legible

Website Top tip:
Make sure fonts are legible
As more and more complex systems are being developed online, design guidelines are constantly being updated. However, basic guidelines are no less important and ensuring that text used on a website is legible is a fundamental part of a sites’ design. These top tips will ensure your site can be used by people with poor eyesight. But remember clear, legible fonts are appreciated by all users no matter how good their eyesight.

1. Ensure you use a suitable size No matter how good the content, there’s no point providing it if users can’t see it. Small fonts can be annoying to those with good eyesight, and render a site unusable for others. Ensure all text on the site is large enough for people to read easily. Aim for size 10 or higher.

2. Don’t use overly complex fonts (anywhere) People don’t read from screens the same way they do from a book or magazine. Instead they scan and a complex font could get in the way. Virtually all sites use a simple font for their body text, but complex fonts are still sometimes used in banner adverts and for headings. Headings and banners need to be just as legible as the rest of the page or they aren’t doing their job.

3. Remember to have a high contrast Make sure the contrast between the background colour and text is high. If the contrast is too low users will struggle to make out the text. There are various online tools you can use to check this, such as the Juicy Studio Contrast Analyser. Pay particular attention to banners as these often superimpose text over a picture of varying contrast.

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