In web design, there are a lot of different elements that are key to making a successful website.
One of the most important elements is typography – but what exactly is typography and how can it be used to make a web design super successful?
If you are wondering how you can use typography to its full potential so your web design can look complete and high quality, then this is the place for you.
We are going to be diving into the topic of typography including what it’s all about and how web designers use it to make their websites a total success.
What Is Typography?
Typography refers to the use of text on a page to contribute to its overall design.
It’s a wide term that covers a lot of bases when it comes to text.
This is because when adding typography to your web design, you should be concerned with more than just what your text says.
Typography is not just about the subject of the text but the font it is written in, its position on the web page, how it’s structured and what kind of response it gets from the viewer.
You should also think about the size of the text, how it’s aligned, where it is in the hierarchy of the overall design and its relationship to other pieces of text on the same webpage.
Basically, typography is all about the letters, words, punctuation and symbols you include on your web page.
How Is Typography Used?
Because typography is such a vast term, it covers a lot of different types of text.
Headings and subheadings are used so your viewers can navigate their way through your website easily. This is because they usually define the post or page that they headline.
Not only that, but search engines rely on headings and subheadings to help find the right kind of websites when someone searches a question or key term.
If you don’t use either in your website, then it’s unlikely anyone will ever find it.
Typography also covers any chunks of text you may include on your website – like information pages, questions and answers, welcome pages, anything!
These bodies of text are important for conveying useful information to your viewers and this can help them understand your website and business far better.
Menus also count as typography because they contain words and they are vital for a functioning website.
Without them, users of your website will struggle to navigate their way through and this will overall damage their experience.
So, it’s clear to see that there are lots of different ways typography is used in web design and that is why it is so important – and yet so many people underestimate this element of design.
Is Typography Important?
Typography is a very important element of your overall web design because without any typography at all, then how will you be able to clearly communicate with your viewers and audience?
Typography is the key to conveying information and making your website easy to navigate.
Its purpose is to guide your users through their experience on your website and so, your typography needs to be easy to read and accessible to as many people as possible.
This is where a lot of web designers slip up – they get so carried away with using pretty fonts that they forget about the purpose of the text they are adding.
Even if you find the most stunning font available, if people can’t read it easily then it’s useless!
So, web designers have to use typography in their web designs at some point.
If they don’t, then their users will just be skimming through lots of pictures with no context or information.
Not only that, but search engines will not be able to pick out keywords so they know what your website is about and when it is relevant to a search query.
So, not using any typography in your website could mean that you get less traffic altogether!
Areas Of Typography To Consider In Web Design
So, typography can be used in lots of different and equally important ways when it comes to designing a website.
However, it’s not as easy as just writing out your text and smacking it onto your web page.
A lot of thought and consideration has to go into how typography is done on each and every web page.
Every single character that is typed out needs to be carefully considered in a number of ways.
Here, we are going to touch on those areas so you have a better idea of just how much work goes into every single time typography is used in web design.
Fonts And Typefaces
Fonts are so important when it comes to typography because there are thousands to choose from and each one leaves a unique impression on viewers.
Some are more professional, others more fun and quirky but the font you use needs to be easily readable and accessible for your design to be successful.
Contrast And Color
Even if you use an easy-to-read font, it’s no use if you color it light gray and place it against a white backdrop.
That will make your text nearly impossible to read and most viewers may even miss it entirely.
So, web designers need to carefully consider the colors they use for their typography and how they can make it contrast and stand out against the other elements surrounding it.
Position And Alignment
Placing your heading at the bottom of your webpage can render it completely useless – so web designers also need to carefully consider where they put their typography.
Blocks of texts can be chopped down into smaller, bite sized pieces that make it easier to read , but if they are too far apart, then the whole text becomes disjointed and confusing.
The same rules apply for alignment. Western audiences are used to reading from left to right, so aligning all of your text to the right will be super confusing for them.
This all goes to show just how important positioning is when working with typography.
Conclusion
So, typography can be used in lots of different ways when it comes to web design.
Headings, menus, bodies of text, subheadings, even recipes and instructions – these are all examples of types of typography!
However, this does not mean that typography is just about writing out your text and leaving it.
Web designers have to carefully consider a lot of different areas when it comes to adding the typography to their web page.
Things like what fonts they use, what color they color the text, and where they position it are just a few examples of some questions web designers must ask themselves when working with typography.
This just goes to show how important typography is even though a lot of people underestimate its significance!