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a
hundred or so installed for use. Different operating
systems, and various other files or programs you obtain
can install various fonts on your computer and add to
that number. Those fonts are usually compatible
across programs, meaning you will be able to use all of
your system fonts in any program. Let’s say your
computer came pre-installed with 150 fonts. Then you
bought a common software program that added 50 more
fonts to your computer. You now have 200 fonts you will
be able to use in any program that is designed to allow
font selection.
Isn’t that great? You instantly have more fonts to
choose from. If you’re working in print materials or
graphics, then you actually do have the freedom to
choose whatever fonts you want. However, if you are not
printing the final version but instead delivering your
material via the internet, whether it be on a website,
by email, or any other type of electronic media, you
don’t actually have as much freedom as you may think.
There are several factors to take into consideration
that could influence your choice, including perception,
usability and availability.
Perception.
The typeface that you select needs to accurately reflect
the mood of your message. Do you want the tone conveyed
to your reader to be formal or informal, friendly or
serious, professional or playful? If the message is of a
professional and formal nature, then your font should
accurately portray that. But if the message is to a
group of friends inviting them to a party, you can have
a little fun and take a more informal approach with your
fonts. Always consider the audience for which the piece
is intended, and then choose a font that achieves the
perception you desire.
Usability.
After you have established the intended audience for
your message, make sure they can actually read it! Many
fonts are hard to read simply because they are so small
in size (like 8 point or 10 point). Cursive and italic
fonts can be hard on the eyes and are strongly
discouraged for the purposes of main bodies of text.
Italics should only be used for emphasis or as graphical
elements. You also don’t want your font too large, as
this can make it difficult for the eyes to scan across a
large body of text. There are many fonts available
intended specifically for headings and logo text that
would be inappropriate for the main body of a message.
To maximize usability, make sure to choose a font that
is legible and easy on the eyes.
Availability.
This is the most easily overlooked aspect of font
selection and can result in completely unexpected
results. To insure the recipient sees the same message
style you created, the fonts you use must be available
on their computer. When you create a website for
example, the HTML code will “call” the font that is
supposed to be displayed. This tells your browser
program what font it should display on that particular
page. Even though you may have 200 fonts installed on
your computer and you see your fonts fine and dandy,
that doesn’t mean that the person on the other end
viewing your website has the exact same fonts as you. In
a case where he doesn’t, his browser will substitute a
different font of its own choosing, which could
completely change their perception of your intended
message. At the very least, they may think you were
sloppy in putting your material together. Email
programs, and electronic newsletters, all work the same
way. So bottom line, you need to use fonts that you are
positive your entire web audience will have available on
their computer. We call these “Web-Safe” fonts.
With thousands of fonts out there, you’re probably
thinking, “No big deal, there are still plenty of
choices”. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news,
but there are only 9. Yes, you read that correctly,
there are only NINE web-safe fonts that you can be
assured are on every single computer out there! Those
fonts are Arial, Arial Black, Courier New, Comic Sans,
Georgia, Impact, Tahoma, Times New Roman, Trebuchet, and
Verdana. Let’s take a couple of minutes to understand
the differences in these fonts.
There are two basic types of fonts; serif or sans serif.
Serif by definition has a fine line finishing off the
main strokes of a letter, or letters may end with a
rounded tip. And “sans” is a French term meaning
“without”, so in the case of sans serif it would be
without those fine lines. The most common serif font is
Times New Roman and the most common sans serif font is
Arial, both of which are web-safe fonts. Of the nine
web-safe fonts there are only 3 serif fonts; Courier
New, Georgia and Times New Roman. Serif fonts in very
small text sizes can be hard to read, therefore caution
should be used when selecting those for small print.
Arial (properly pronounced "are-ree-al")
Arial was introduced as the default typeface for Windows
3.1 when it was released by Microsoft in the early
1990s. It is not difficult to read unless used in very
small sizes, and it is the most popular sans serif font
today. It is however quite plain, and people tend to get
bored of Arial because they see it every where. But,
since it’s so widely available, easy to read, and the
default for Microsoft products, it is a great font to
use for main content areas of your marketing materials,
newsletters, websites, etc.
Arial Black
Arial Black is one of many versions of Arial, released
with Internet Explorer 3. It is a bolder font than Arial
and is great for headings and short sections of text
that require emphasis.
Courier New
Courier New, a serif font, was primarily a font used in
old typewriters. Not normally used as main bodies of
text, it is still used to display code in documents or
when the writer wants the old-fashioned typewriter look
in their document.
Comic Sans
Comic Sans started shipping with Windows 95 as a
preinstalled font. Designed to look like comic book
lettering, the font was created for informal copy.
Regarded today as unprofessional, this sans serif font
is not recommended for materials of a professional
nature. Comic Sans became a more popular font when it
started being used as the text inside the tags on Beanie
Babies!
Georgia
Georgia, a serif font, was created for Microsoft in 1993
to provide a clean font for use on the web that would
display well even in small sizes. Georgia font letters
are taller than most other web-safe fonts, making them
easier to read when used in smaller sizes. Georgia is a
great alternative when you’re tired of traditional
Times New Roman, but still want a serif font.
Impact
Impact is a very bold sans serif font. By it’s name,
it was designed to impact the reader, and is therefore
recommended only for headings, small blocks of text,
areas on the page that you want to grab the readers eye.
Because of it’s thick block style, Impact looks best
when there is plenty of space around it otherwise it
looks cluttered.
Tahoma
Tahoma, a very close cousin of Verdana, was designed in
1999 for Microsoft. It is so similar to Verdana that
many don’t see the difference in the fonts. Mainly,
Tahoma keeps its lettering tighter so that text does not
spread out as far as Verdana does. Tahoma is a great
font option for those needing a sans serif font but who
are getting bored of Arial.
Times New Roman
Times New Roman is the most widely used serif font,
developed in 1931 for use by The Times newspaper in
London. It has remained a very popular font for setting
type in books, magazines, newspapers, etc. The U.S.
State Department has been using Times New Roman 14 point
on all diplomatic documents since 1994, replacing their
old font of choice Courier New 12 point.
Trebuchet (properly pronounced "treb-u-shet”
Trebuchet was designed in 1996 for Microsoft and is a
popular sans serif font for those bored with the plain
appearance of Arial. Having a definite style all it’s
own, Trebuchet is easy to read for large or small type
and works well for main bodies of text. Due to its
unique styling though, it can be seen as a feminine font
and if your audience is all men they may not relate well
to that font.
Verdana
Verdana, designed for Microsoft in 1996 is probably the
most easy to read web-safe sans serif font available.
With its taller lettering, and more evenly spaced
letters it can be easily read in larger sizes as well as
small sizes. It does extend the width of text on a page,
so it’s great for filling design that have a lot of
space with a small amount of copy.
What Font do YOU Want?
Now that you understand the differences between the 9
web-safe fonts, which one will you choose for your
internet communications? If you’re looking for a serif
font, then Georgia is our recommendation. It is the
clearest serif font on the web, since it was designed
for just that purpose. If you are looking for a sans
serif font, Verdana is the clearest on screen font for
readability and is our number one recommendation, with
good old Arial pulling up a close second.
Article
Source:
http://articles-4-free.com
Angela
Nielsen is President of NIC Media Group, an
award-winning web development company located in
southern California. To find out more about Angela
NIelsen or NIC Media Group visit www.nicmedia.com.
Copyright 2006 by Angela Nielsen. Professional editing
provided by www.sharpediting.com.
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