UX Patterns: Modern Typography
Introduction
During your web adventures, Typography as a term will play a crucial role in the result project. The choice of fonts can significantly impact readability, aesthetics, and overall user engagement.
In this article, we will explore the influence of font choices on web design and delve into the possibilities offered by Google Fonts and variable fonts.
The Impact of Font Choices
The fonts used on a website contribute to its personality and visual identity. They can evoke emotions, convey information hierarchy, and enhance the overall design aesthetic. Whether it's a sleek and modern sans-serif or a classic and timeless serif font, each choice carries its own significance.
Example Font Families
In the following table, you can see some of the most common font families and their associated characteristics.
| Font | Personality | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Serif | Classic, traditional, elegant | Times New Roman, Georgia, Baskerville |
| Sans-serif | Modern, clean, minimal | Arial, Helvetica, Open Sans |
| Monospace | Technical, retro, quirky | Courier, Monaco, Consolas |
| Display | Decorative, expressive, unique | Impact, Lobster, Pacifico |
Categories and recommendations
Serif Fonts
Sans-serif Fonts
Monospace Fonts
Display Fonts
Font Pairing
When designing a website, it's essential to consider how different fonts will work together. Font pairing is the process of selecting complementary fonts that will enhance the overall design aesthetic and improve readability.
Font Pairing Resources
I highly recommend using Fontjoy to explore font pairings. This tool allows you to generate font combinations based on a single font selection. You can also adjust the weight and size of the fonts to see how they will look in your design.
FontPair is another excellent resource for font pairing. This site offers a curated collection of font combinations, organized by category. You can also filter by font style, weight, and size to find the perfect match for your project.s
Readability and Accessibility
One of the primary considerations when selecting fonts is readability. Different fonts have varying levels of legibility, especially on different devices and screen sizes. Ensuring that your chosen fonts are accessible to a wide range of users is essential for creating an inclusive web experience.
Establishing Visual Hierarchy
Typography is a powerful tool for establishing visual hierarchy. Headings, subheadings, and body text can be styled to guide users through content. Choosing fonts with distinct weights and styles allows designers to create a clear and organized structure, improving the overall user navigation experience.
Resources: Exploring Google Fonts
Google Fonts offers a vast library of free and open-source fonts that can be easily integrated into web projects. With a simple embed code, developers can enhance their websites with a diverse range of fonts, considering factors such as language support and character sets.
Google Fonts Integration Example
<link
rel="stylesheet"
href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Open+Sans:wght@400;700&display=swap"
/>Google Fonts Font Selection
Google Fonts offers a wide variety of fonts, organized by category. You can browse through the collection and filter by language, style, and weight to find the perfect match for your project.
Self hosted fonts
Google fonts recently had some privacy problems, using their cdns let Google to track your users. To avoid this you can self host the fonts you want to use. You can download the fonts from Google Fonts and host them on your server.
Some services and frameworks like Next.js have built in support for self hosting fonts. You can read more about it here.