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Ideally, you should limit your font choices to the Core Web Fonts so that your
visitors will see your site as you designed it to look. If you use a graphic Web
editor such as Dreamweaver, for example, the program may offer a series of font
alternatives when you are specifying fonts. So, for example, in Dreamweaver you
can choose a font declaration like: 'Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif.'
This tells the browser to use Verdana if it is installed, if not, use Arial, if
that isn't available use Helvetica and if none of these fonts are on the system
to use its default sans-serif font.
So, one way or another, your visitor will see the page displayed in a sans-serif
font of some type. The font combinations that Dreamweaver uses take into account
the fonts that are typically installed on a range of operating systems including
Linux/Unix, Mac OS and Windows.
Font Family Basics
When deciding what fonts to use, there are some basic principles to follow that
can help you create a clean and readable design. First, do not use more than
three or four different types of fonts on a page, as it will be cluttered and
hard to read. Mixing fonts is a good idea so your pages don't look flat, but
don't make the common mistake of overdoing it. It's rare that use of more than
three or four fonts in a design will work. You may want to use fonts from the
same family, which means though they make look narrower or bolder, they still
share the same basic design elements. |
Key Terms To
Understanding Fonts:
Related Articles
on Webopedia:
|
Second, stick to sans-serif fonts, which are
those without hooks on the ends of letters. While good for print, serifs
aren't a good match for the Web. When viewed on a computer screen, all those
little tails blur together, so it's best to use sans-serif for your main
copy. Some examples include Geneva, Helvetica and Arial.
Finally, when combining different types of fonts, try to use ones that have
similar proportions. Look at their respective lowercase heights in some
sample copy, and check that they are about the same, as are letters that
descend below the line.
Fancy Fonts as Images
Don't' be discouraged, however, if you fall in love with a fancy font and
want to use it, there is a way it can be done. If you really want to use a
fancy font on your Web site, you need to find a way other than using plain
text to display it.
The simplest option is to create the font element as a picture using your
graphics software. To do this, launch a program such as Photoshop and create
a new image. Type the text using the desired font into the image and color
and format it as desired. Crop and save the image as either a JPEG or GIF
format image and use that on your Web page in place of plain text.
While this solution adds a layer of complexity to your Web page and
increases the page size and the subsequent download speed — images are much
larger than plain text — it lets you use fancy fonts in a way that ensures
that all viewers, who have image display enabled in their browsers, will see
your page and the font as you planned it to appear.
 |
|
You can use fancy fonts on your Web site if you create the font
element as an image. Click to view larger image. |
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Helen Bradley is a respected international journalist writing regularly
for small business and computer publications in the USA, Canada, South Africa,
UK and Australia. You can learn more about her at her Web site, HelenBradley.com.
Article courtesy of Ecommerce-Guide.com.
Last updated: June 27, 2008
Webopedia: An
Introduction to Fonts
A font is essentially the design for a set of characters. It's the combination
of typeface and design characteristics such as size, pitch and spacing.
Microsoft TrueType
Typography Web site
Microsoft's Typography group researches and develops fonts and font
technologies, and supports the development of TrueType fonts by independent type
vendors. This site provides links to free TrueType fonts and utilities, style
sheets, a TrueType FAQ and specifications, and links to typography sites on the
Web. |
