An ideal website design combines functionality and visual design. The font is one of the vital elements of a website design, and you must choose it carefully. A specific font communicates the website’s brand and identity and determines the quality of user experience.
Website design can benefit from the correct fonts. They impact your website in several ways, such as:
A good website should reflect its identity and theme in its design, one of them through fonts. For example, the official website of a law firm will have a very different font from that of a wedding planning service. Think of a standard sans-serif typeface versus an elegant, humanist serif.
Fonts can also be artistic, reflecting a specific identity and personality on the website design. For example, a game design company might use a retro sci-fi or pixel font for the header.
A good website must be readable, allowing visitors to read its content more comfortably. This is especially true for a website with long-form content, such as online media, blogs, or information sources.
Readable texts must use fonts that allow a smooth reading experience and retain the reader’s attention. It must also reduce ambiguity, such as using a font with a distinctive design between its characters.
User behavior can show whether your website is engaging or not. Your goal when designing a website is to make sure that it stays for a long time (such as reading the content), uses the function as indicated (go through steps in order), or creates a conversion (purchase and pay for a product).
User behavior is important because it is related to user experience and satisfaction. Fonts can be determining factors in creating a specific experience. For example, the right font option will make your website more interesting.
Since many people browse the internet with mobile devices, their experience must also be considered. Font design must be responsive and provide a similarly satisfying experience when the user explores the desktop version.
Finally, user interface, experience, and other factors related to website design are related to the brand reputation. Your font must match the website brand and provide a satisfying experience for users. Otherwise, users will get a negative impression just from the website visual.
Choosing the right font can be overwhelming, but you can bring the steps in a specific direction to make the process easier. Here is how to start.
Think about the scope of your website project; how much will you expand it? You might want to add new fonts to the mix, especially when creating new pages, menus, or support materials.
You can maintain a consistent visual, even with variations, by choosing a big family font. Consistency is the key to creating a strong brand.
Make sure you have notes about your website identity. What are the message and philosophy behind the brand? What is the theme you aim for? And who are the target audience? The answers will determine which fonts that best represent them.
Planning the typesetting includes making notes about the number of texts you will include. For example, you must consider the menu items, title, heading, and body text besides the header and main menu.
Make sure to choose unique fonts for different major parts. You can try slightly unusual fonts for things like header and main title. However, body texts should use something “cleaner” and more readable.
Here are several web designs with great font choices that reflect their brands perfectly.
The Robin Collective’s identity is quirkiness and playfulness. They combine playful typography with standard sans serif. The result? A professional website that still shows its playful sides on specific, important parts.
Shiny Individual is a jewelry-making website with diamond jewelry as its signature. Therefore, they use elegant serif fonts for their website header to establish the brand. However, they switch to sans serif on the menu and catalog to maintain professionalism.
Ryan Haskins uses bold, Brutalist font design to market their edgy and modern design projects. However, despite the striking look and multiple fonts, Ryan Haskins’s website still uses the sans serif family. The readability factor balances the bold and edgy look.
Now that you have seen the examples, here are several impactful fonts you can use for your website.
Retro Mango is quirky without sacrificing readability. It has a bold style with slightly uneven characters, which add a quirky touch without looking overwhelming. You can use the Bold version to emphasize header and title but stick with the regular one for body texts.
Swipe is inspired by retro artwork and magazine covers, adding a fun and unique style to your website. It has rounded edges and alternating thicknesses that add characters. You can use it for a header, menu, or title for a cheerful, youthful, or nostalgic web design.
Aprils is a casual, stylish, and even slightly playful font with good readability. It has consistent strokes and a natural look inspired by handwriting. You can easily use this font for various parts of the website, such as the header, menu, title, menu item, and subheading.
Because of its clear, straightforward design, you can use it for a short body text. For example, use Aprils for a short product description to make it more interesting.
Looking at Kelpo will immediately make you think about old-school comic books. This retro display font is perfect for a colorful, nostalgic web design. You can use it for website elements, such as header, menu, menu item, title, subheading, and product catalog.
Fonts have important roles in creating an impactful website design. Make sure you understand what your website says and who your audience is. Pick a font that best reflects your brand and website theme, creating a positive user experience.
