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For web developers, choosing the right typeface or font for a web page is very important. Having the correct typeface on the web adds meaning to the message being delivered. Fonts can set the tone for the entire page. They invoke feelings. Using the right typeface can literally make or break a website. For my non-geek readers so that you don’t feel left out, choosing a typeface is like dating a girl or choosing a lifetime partner. Here are three quick points to help you in choosing your True Type.

Type Matters

Choosing the right type matters. Typefaces subconsciously affect the way we feel. The feelings when viewed can be formal or casual, modern or traditional, serious or friendly, cool or warm. What’s your type? Is your type traditional or modern? Is it bold or narrow? Tall or short? Edgy or smooth? The truth is there are no set rules when it comes to choosing the right typeface. Just choose the right one for the right occasion. If you want a newspaper feel, you might want to use Times New Roman. If you want a plain and blocky feel, you can choose Arial, which happens to be an IRS favorite. If you want something informal, Comic Sans MS will do the trick. It really comes down to your preference. So, choose wisely.

What You See Is Not Necessarily What You Will Get

Not all typefaces will render exactly the same way due to various OS and varying browsers. Mozilla’s Firefox will render certain typefaces slightly different than Internet Explorer. The Safari, Netscape, Gecko and Opera browsers might render them a little differently. An 10 pixel Arial font, for example, may look slightly bigger, smaller, narrower or wider in various browsers. That’s why it’s important to see how the typefaces behave in various circumstances. Have you ever been with a typeface that turned out to be other than?

Use Web Safe Fonts

So, it’s time for your girlfriend to meet your parents. What’s the safe choice? The same goes when choosing a font. Is Georgia really on your mind? Or is it the French-speaking Trebuchet? Do you prefer an older and mature Times? Or maybe the younger and trendier New Times Roman? How about plain old Arial? Is she not good enough? Or would you rather go with the Greek goddess named Helvetica? The choices are many and difficult. If I had to make a choice, I would choose Georgia and Helvetica. Yes, both. I love both of them. I chose them not because my name is Greek and “Georgia on my Mind” sounds very good when played on the saxophone. I chose them because both typefaces are easy to read and work great in italics. Both typefaces are easily available and are therefore web-safe.

I hope you find these three points helpful. Good luck in finding your True Type.

Thanks to Daniel Will-Harris’ article for the inspiration.