Helpful hints

It is important to know how and when to use type appropriately. Consider first the typeface. Is it display type or text? Display type is usually larger and is used for headlines, summaries and subheads. It is given more emphasis in order to stand out from the text. The text is the body of the reading material and is usually set between 8-12 point size. Use larger font if there is a small x-height (Century), and use a smaller font if there is a large x-height (Helvetica).It also depends on what message you are trying to get across. If it is a one-day ad for a car company some bold sans serif type may be appropriate, but if it is a wedding invitation, a script or cursive type would work better. For the body text, most publications use a serif typeface. The thick and thin lines are easier to read and cause less eye fatigue, and the serifs make a connection between the letters of the words (Ryan 88). Roman typefaces (with serifs) tend to be more traditional, personal and trusted, while sans serif type is cooler and contemporary.

The size of the type is important too. For very young and old audiences, it is important to make sure the type is large enough. For reverse type, (white type on dark background) it is a good idea to make it larger and usually in sans serif to help with legibility.



There are a number of other factors that make text more readable. It’s important to find the correct leading. If the leading has the same point size as the type it’s called solid leading and can be difficult to read if the letters are stacked too closely together. A good rule of thumb is to add one or two points to the size of the type to arrive at the leading size. When the line of text is longer, it’s necessary to have larger leading. Lines of text should not be shorter than the length of one alphabet of lowercase letters in that point size, and no longer than two alphabets together (Ryan 93).

Image source: http://sofia.fhda.edu/gallery/typography/quizzes/images/reverse.gif