To read the first part of this blog see Fonts Part 1: Keeping It In The Family.

Choosing the Right Font

Serif or sans-serif…what’s a serif? Serifs are the small lines at the ends of each character in a font. Sans-serif fonts don’t have these small lines - they’re straight at the ends of each character.

Serif fonts are easier to read because the eye can differentiate each character faster than reading a sans-serif font. This is why most people use serif fonts when typing large amounts of copy, such as books and almost every other type of print material. However, for the web it’s traditional to use a sans-serif font for your website’s main content - why is that?

• Sans-serif fonts look good at almost all sizes online
• Most operating systems render them smoothly
• They tend to have a more modern or business look and feel
• Serif fonts lose readability at smaller sizes

Use Web Safe Fonts

Always be sure to use fonts that are “web safe”. Web safe fonts are fonts that will work on multiple operating systems (Mac and Windows) and are easy to read online. The fonts below are considered to be web safe:

Arial (sans-serif)

Times New Roman (serif)

Courier New (serif)

Verdana (sans-serif)

Georgia (serif)

Comic Sans MS (sans-serif)

Trebuchet MS (sans-serif)