Long before the invention of the printing press and modern type, writing and the formation of letters in ink on paper were the skills of scribes who did calligraphy. Today, no ink or paper is needed. You can invest in your web design career and learn the fundamentals of typography through online courses.
Typography refers to the area of web and graphic design that deals with letters and sets of letters, commonly known as fonts, and how they are arranged. Traditionally, it is a term used for printed matter, but the concepts are used in digital applications as well. Typography is an integral part of the design. A change in how text is set or what font is used can make the difference between a successful design and one that misses the mark.
Keep reading to learn more about web fonts for web design.
Readability Vs. Legibility
With respect to typography, readability and legibility refer to two types of clarity. When designers talk about readability, they are referring to how easy or difficult it is to read words, phrases, and paragraphs on a page or screen. Have you arranged the text on the screen so that it is readable? This is a good question to ask when determining readability.
The concept of legibility refers to individual letterforms. That is, legibility is a fundamental quality of the font. What does that mean? The best fonts are the ones regular readers do not notice because they don’t get in the way of reading the text. As you can see, if you are interested in pursuing a web design diploma, you will find that typography provides an opportunity for you to combine creative passion with technical skills.
You can check the legibility and readability of your text
Serif, or Sans Serif Fonts
You may recognize the terms serif and sans serif already. If you are interested in hands-on experience understanding how these two kinds of types might factor into your future career, then web designer training may be right for you.
One of the most popular serif fonts is ‘Times New Roman’. It was created by Stanley Morison in 1929 for the Times of London. At the tips and bases of each of the letters, there are little ticks; some people call them feet. Those are the serifs. As you can guess, the sans serif fonts, such as Helvetica, do not have those little feet. Most designers agree that serifs make the text more legible and readable in print. However, this is not to say that sans serif fonts aren’t useful in web design. These fonts are often seen as clean and modern, which can be useful for certain designs.
Use Your Web Designer Training to Become an Expert
In web designer school, you can build up momentum through courses and transform the knowledge and practical experiences you gain into success. When you are introduced to the fundamentals of typography, you will learn the language of the letterform, how to classify type, and how to use display type to get your message across.
Exercises and lessons will increase your confidence and prepare you to become an expert. As you practice working with different typefaces and fonts, you will start to know which one functions better for certain purposes. For example, many professional web designers prefer Verdana, a sans serif font that was made for computer screens. You may even be inspired to create your own font on your learning journey.
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