Up until fairly recently web typography was pretty limited for web designers. There weren’t a lot of options to choose from. However, with third party font services growing, such as Typekit and Typotheque, there are wide range of fonts available for designers to choose from. With more browsers supporting these fonts, typography has become an increasingly important aspect of website design.
Besides just choosing a hot new font, there are some fundamentals to keep in mind when considering your options for typography and colors in the design of a site. First, keep enough white space in your site so that the user is not overwhelmed with content. It helps focus attention on the text and what is important. Right in line with that is having smaller blocks of text so users can scan and read it quickly.
Keep contrast in mind. You want to make sure that there is a good contrast between your font color with the background. If your beautiful font is legible, then you’ve defeated the purpose.
Font size kind of goes right along with that. Choosing a size that is legible and easy for the user to read should be considered when determining your typography. When in doubt, go for the larger size!
Finally, varying the font size helps break up and helps the user differentiate content. It gives them an idea of what’s important and can help them scan and pick up little tidbits. Instead of varying size, another strategy might be to apply different styles like italics, bold, or varying the font style.
