cyberfrem.co.uk
Summary:
- DO use sans serif fonts.
- DO minimise the number of fonts used per page.
- DON'T use upper case text.
- DO limit the length of each line of text.
- DON'T fully justify your text.
Elaboration:
- Use sans serif fonts.
- These have plain stroke endings, (without any flaring, cross stroke, or other ornamentation), and are easier and clearer to read on screen, eg. Verdana, Arial, or Helvetica. Avoid serif fonts, ie. those with finishing strokes, flared or tapering ends, eg. Times New Roman.
Do not use many or uncommon fonts.- Just because your computer provides you with many fonts it does not follow that you have to use them all. One or two standard fonts per page should suffice. You may have some very nice fonts but there is no guarantee that your reader will have the same ones on their system.
THERE'S NO NEED TO SHOUT!- Avoid using upper case text as this makes your words harder to recognise, slower to read, and gives the impression that you are shouting. There are other ways that you can use to emphasise important text, eg. emboldening, but do not use underlining as your reader may mistake the text for a hyperlink.
How long are your lines?- If your lines are too long, (or even too short), they disrupt your flow when reading, eg. at the end of each line there is a pause whilst the reader's eyes have to re-scan a long distance back to find the beginning of the next line, (too short and the reader's eyes are moving more often than reading)! Ideally, to be read comfortably, a line of text should only contain about 10 to 12 words.
Justification.- It is best to stick to the default and allow your text to be left-justified by the browser as this is easier to read. Whilst fully justified your text may at first glance appear neater, it can break up the 'shape' of words, (ie. space the letters apart too much), making them harder for the brain to swiftly recognise during reading.