Basic Typography
Typography is the style and appearance of written words. Good typography benefits the reader and can help keep their attention for longer. When done properly, typography can make text more readable and engaging.
Using CSS, typography can be controlled to create beautiful and usable websites. Text can be styled significantly with CSS alone.
Rules to Remember
- Avoid small and unreadable fonts
- Line height should stay around 1.5
- Line length should not exceed 10-15 words
- Choose 1-2 fonts readable
- Avoid fun fonts, system fonts, and monospaced fonts
- Chunk text into readable sections
- Align text left
- Use centered text sparingly
- Organize text into visual hierarchy to improve readability
- Use difference in emphasis, color, and weight to create rhythm
- Avoid underlining text
- Italics are best for emphasis
- Consider proportions, contrast, and spacing
- Give padding to elements with borders
Final Considerations
Consider the tone of your website and create typography that reflects that tone. Pay attention to how different fonts play off of each other.