10 Font and Text Tips

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By Pamela S. Stevens

Use reversed text sparingly, although it produces a dramatic effect its easily overdone and small sizes are difficult to read on some monitors.
Keep it simple. Avoid over filling a page, good use of white space encourages the reader to focus on the content. Use bullets, indents, italics or headings to distinguish important points.
Do not use too many font types. Generally, two font types are enough—for example one serif and one sans serif.
Avoid the use of all uppercase, depending on the font, it can be difficult to read. If you want a certain word to dominate use small uppercase, but an entire sentence or paragraph in uppercase is too much.
Use your boldface lightly. Contrast creates attention, if there are many bolded words, nothing will stand out.
Choose the right font. For example, a casual or frisky font distracts from serious content. The font should match your message and tone, not contradict it.
Select the proper font format. If you do not know what kind of format to purchase, please read Font Formats Demystified and/or consult with your font provider.
Test your font choice. It may be a good idea to see how a certain font appears across a broad range of applications or systems. Some programs or operating systems convert fonts and they may look different than they do on your monitor.
Do not overuse fancy, complicated fonts. Calligraphy fonts or other loopy, sweeping fonts may be beautiful, but are hard to read. Use them in moderation and never in content. For example, perhaps for a title in a large size that is easy to read, this will show a little style.
It may not be a good idea to copy fonts. Although the technology is available to copy someone else's font, many are protected by license. Instead of trying to look like someone else, consider developing your own font style and purchase a custom, licensed font.