It's a popular font for accessibility because it has open counters and distinctive letterforms that help avoid confusion. Verdana is a sans-serif typeface that was designed for monitors by Microsoft. In addition, Penn State's Center for Accessibility and Usability recommends the following fonts based on their legibility and availability: Verdana They are also popular font choices and therefore available on most computers, which means that they are accessible to a larger population than less popular fonts. These fonts are all simple, basic, and unadorned, adding no extra flourishes or decoration that may confuse readers on a computer screen. While it does have an x-height that's not particularly large, it offers a good distinction between most characters, making it an excellent choice for those looking for an easy-to-read font. CalibriĬalibri is a font designed for Microsoft. The tall x-height makes this font easier to read at a distance. Helvetica is a traditional print font available on Mac, Unix, and newer versions of Windows. This font is similar to Verdana but with a narrower body, smaller counters, and tighter spacing between letters. Tahoma is another sans-serif typeface created for Microsoft. While this was designed as a print font, its open design also looks great in web design. ArialĪrial is a popular sans-serif typeface with natural strokes and open counters that give it an organic look. This font was created by Microsoft and reads well on both web pages and digital documents. Verdana is another popular sans-serif font that's widely used because of its open counters and distinctive letter shapes. This serif font has a relatively small x-height, but it is excellent regarding legibility. In general, Microsoft fonts are a good choice and will be accessible to many people within your audience.Īccording to the Bureau of Internet Accessibility, the right fonts for website accessibility are: Times New Romanįor many, Times New Roman has become the default font for print and web documents. The ideal fonts are not just the easiest fonts to read on web pages but also the fonts available to most of the audience. When looking for the best fonts for reading, you'll want to consider both legibility and availability. □See Also: 5 top skills you need to thrive as a UX writer in 2022 Best fonts for reading In fact, GOV.UK avoids using certain characters in passcodes altogether because of these legibility issues. Similarly shaped letters and characters and short ascenders and descenders increase letter confusion and decrease legibility and readability for people with dyslexia. When you add a visual impairment or increase user age to over 45, the range of characters that may be confused increases: i / j B / 8 D / O, 0, o 0 / O o k / R a / o F / f r / v / Y g / q clear / dear turn / tum CS5 / CSS 105 / IOS 5AM / SAM Z2 / 22 LJ, LI, Ll / U ce / oe I’ve bolded the letters and characters that were confused. A study by Thomas Bohm of User Design, Illustration and Typesetting showed that the following letters and symbols were confusing for people aged 13 to 45, with no dyslexia or visual impairments. Type font confuses people if it’s not well-defined. □See Also: Five tips to effectively pair content and design Why is a clear font important? Exemplar, usability-tested accessible fonts are available.Font weight, as well as shape, needs to be considered for legibility.Easy differentiation of letter shapes, and also between headings and body text, is essential.In fact, some san serif fonts can be less readable than some serif fonts. A sans serif font is not necessarily more readable than a serif font.Professional opinion varies, but some pointers around letter shape can guide you to make more accessible font choices.User research and testing with a broad range of real users - in the context that they encounter your content - will help you find the best font for your purposes. ![]() What I learned can be summarised in these overall takeaways: However, in the spirit of helping us all aim for improvement, rather than perfection – especially as there may not be one perfect answer – I’ve gathered up a few observations about what makes the best font for reading. Initially, my instinct was to stay away from this topic, as it’s hotly debated with no absolute consensus. Lastly, I read The Non-Designer’s Design Book this January to learn more about graphic design, and the author, Robin Williams, had some insights on font choices. I shared the evidence that people who knew more than me had shared on Twitter. Then, I was asked my opinion on readable fonts by a large charity. First, I got involved in an accessible fonts discussion on Twitter last year. This question has come up for me as a content designer a few times recently.
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