April 7, 2011

The rise of the web fonts

Today’s online design considerations are influenced by a wide range of fonts, relying less and less on those already installed on users’ systems.

No longer an afterthought or a tricky workaround, web designers now have a greater choice than ever of formats and delivery services to render website text as a consistent, enjoyable reading experience.

System, commercial and free fonts offer different styles and weights for each project where two or three complementary typefaces are usually enough to convey a suitable mood to visitors.

The SEO and styling advantages of rendering extra fonts on screen are balanced by speed and drawing considerations, but the enhanced support of modern browsers makes these now much less of an issue.

For sites to stand out with better balance and depth from typography is yet further progress as our nascent internet allows brands to more easily maintain their own style and freshness.

So, how well do the fonts on your site illustrate your brand or character?
This post uses the FF Nuvo Web Medium font, just one of typefaces featured in this sketchbook.

Here we can try them out to see how they work in different situations as headlines, body text and alongside other fonts.

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