Best font to use?

by steve.callens

Posted: 14 years ago 34 replies

WEB DESIGN

hi all,

I heard that "At present, a popular design choice is to use a sans-serif font (such as Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, etc.) for the main body text of a site. However, most Web browsers default to a serif font like Times New Roman..."
But my question is this:-

1. What is the best font to use and why?
2. How would the selected font look on other operating systems like Mac or Linux?

Thanks.

#font

bz1406 14 years ago

I think Verdana is the best...
- Thanks
- 1 reply
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- Agung Prabowo 14 years ago
  
  Tahoma would be the choice for me, looks more streamlined, professional and is very compatible to all OS. Plus its very easy to read as well.
  
  Yup i agree........
  
  Thanks
  
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Daveone 14 years ago

The font to use for any design depends on the design. It is difficult to say which font is the best.
- Thanks
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tajimd 14 years ago

Georgia is best for heading and titles and Arial for the body
- [ 1 ] Thanks
- 1 reply
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- aisling 14 years ago
  
  As has been said, it depends on your purpose and the image you want to convey. San serif fonts are easy to read and look very modern. Serif fonts convey tradition.
  
  If you're going with a serif font, choose Georgia. It was designed to print clearly and look good. (I print lengthy webpages to read offline, so this is a high priority for me.)
  
  If you're choosing a san serif, I favor Tahoma, but Arial is universally good, too. I'd try each of them to evaluate the visual impression and readability on your screen and a few others.
  
  Thanks
  
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tihomir_wwf 14 years ago

in all my sites, I use Arial, but it really depends on your purpose
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- 1 reply
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- Karen Blundell 14 years ago
  
  I use Georgia on my blog. I like it because it looks nice, in my opinion, and it's less used than Arial or Verdana.
  
  Thanks
  
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fizik 14 years ago

I use vandana for my website. I love it. Its easy to read
- Thanks
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WebTraveler 14 years ago

I have to agree with using Georgia for the headings and san-serif for the body text. One thing you need to keep in mind is the order of the font. For example Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, If you have arial first on one page or style and verdana on another they won't match. A hard lesson learned.
- Thanks
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Lloyd Buchinski 14 years ago

My favorite for awhile now has been Calabri. It's for all my docs
and is the first listed in my css, but I believe it can only be seen
so far on vista. I also like Arial and Verdana.
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shkid 14 years ago

I prefer Verdana, for me it's the best one.
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robertstr 14 years ago

I think the best font to use is Verdana. The only font being well researched/experiment by micrsft etc with their micrsft eyes before being introduced. Do you agree with me?
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ArtW 14 years ago

It is always varied to what site, but my base I use Helvetica Its the most uniform in my eyes and is pretty standard.
- Thanks
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lingerieexposure

14 years ago

I have always been told Verdana is for business writing. It is easy to read. Looks like there are many opinions to your question. It is probably wise not to use too many font styles on your website.

Alan

Thanks
1 reply

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shkid

14 years ago

Originally Posted by lingerieexposure

I fully agree with you, it's perfect for business writing.

Thanks

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brapster 14 years ago

i use arial or verdana as well...

TNR makes sites and documents look oldskool!!
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regan 14 years ago

Times New Roman is the best because is the most used.
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- 1 reply
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- Peggy Champlin 14 years ago
  
  Some studies say that non serif fonts are easier to read online, while serif fonts are easier to read in print. Others say it doesn't really matter.
  
  I use Verdana the most, and sometimes Arial or Tahoma. I like Verdana because the letters are spaced a little further apart and I find it more readable.
  
  For headlines, you can choose what looks nicest and most readable.
  
  In the end, I agree with many here who say it just depends on your design and your preferences. And those of your audience!
  
  Thanks
  
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Loren Woirhaye 14 years ago

for heads - arial, verdana, impact.

for body copy Courier and courier new are good - older readers
like these fonts.

Young readers may prefer sans-serif fonts but in print sans-serif
fonts cause catastrophic dips in comprehension. Online is
a different, but I feel not SO different.

Yanik Silver used Times for a recent launch. John Reese used
Courier New on Traffic Secrets 2.0. - so the prevailing idea
that sans-serif fonts are best for the internet goes against
what some of the savviest marketers are doing.
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- Peggy Champlin 14 years ago
  
  Well, yes. And I could name a dozen successful internet marketing gurus with sans serif fonts on their sites.
  
  The bottom line is that no one really knows which one is "better", and I suspect that neither is better under all circumstances.
  
  If you're really interested/concerned, test your sales letter both ways - trying to keep the font size and line spacing the same - and see which does better. It may turn out that it doesn't matter at all. If one does better than the other, then use it.
  
  But realize that what works best on your site with your copy and your audience doesn't indicate anything about what will work on someone else's site with different copy and a different audience.
  
  Thanks
  
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  Warmly,
  Peggy Champlin
  
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coverscorp 14 years ago

hello steve,

for font, i think century gothic is cool, and look professional
really like it.

warm regards
-coverscorp-
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Mickm 14 years ago

verdana was designed for screens, so in that respect it's the best. However I do think it comes down to personal choice.
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Creadiv 14 years ago

I like to use Georgia for Heading and Verdana for Body Content. I feel they are the 2 nicest web fonts and they offer good contrast between heading and body text when used together.
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UnleashReality 14 years ago

Helvetica Neue for body text, and same font bold for headers.
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FeivelHH 14 years ago

I prefer verdana. Its clear and nice to read.
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BethD 14 years ago

All browsers will render standard fonts that come packed with Windows or Mac the same - Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Times Roman, Georgia, etc. If you start getting into Comic or Buttermunchies2 or something like that the user has to have those fonts on their own machine for them to render correctly. If the browser doesn't find those fonts on the user's machine, it will drop down into Serif or Sans Serif so if you're using an oddball font, be sure to specify an alternate

The hierarchy would be - Buttermunchies2, Comic, Arial, Sans Serif - that way you're telling the browser to render in your preferred font first, if it isn't present, then go to Comic, then Arial then finally just plain old San Serif (which I think is usually Arial in most browsers and Times Roman is usually the serif)
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webarts 14 years ago

depends on the site mainly

Verdana is better
Georgia would be great for Heading
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- 1 reply
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- LindseyInteractive 14 years ago
  
  First off I will say that the font will look the same across all platforms.
  
  Now, to the main question, which type of font do you use. This is really a matter of opinion and depends on the type of image you are wanting to portray.
  
  Times New Roman is more of a strict, professional, older business type font, so would be better for businesses that have been around and in the market a long time.
  
  Verdana is said to be the new Professional, vibrant, corporate look.
  
  It is really all up to you and how each font plays into your over all look and design feel.
  
  Thanks
  
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tulsatech 14 years ago

SISMediaGroup, I clicked on your link that said "custom wordpress themes" and it took me to your site, but when I clicked on the link to view the actual worpress themes I got the following error: "The requested URL /wordpress-templates.html was not found on this server."

Just thought you should know in case others experience the same problem.
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pdrw07 14 years ago

I always use verdana. Best for title and body <3
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sainshea 14 years ago

For me, Arial is the best one. Its simple and very elegant
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articlemaster 14 years ago

I love using Georgia..its too good me..
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.warrior 13 years ago

My favorite font for Heading is "Trebuchet MS". It looks good in my designs.

In paragraphs i use Arial, because it is very readable and clean.

I use cufón - fonts for designer fonts.
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Best font to use?

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