Shut the Font Door
What the font?!? And why does it matter?
Maybe you haven’t given a lot of thought to the font you’re using when you write or design materials for public consumption. Maybe you’re even guilty of a few other font mishaps. Like this one?
Font choice is crucial for accessibility and understanding. Here’s what to know:
Fonts Improve Legibility: The absence of serifs on sans-serif fonts prevents letters from blending together or creating visual noise. This is critical for readers with cognitive disabilities like dyslexia or those with low vision.
Fonts Reduce Confusion: Clear, distinct character shapes make it easier to differentiate between letters, improving reading speed and comprehension, particularly for those with reading disabilities.
Fonts Optimize for Digital: The clean design and high legibility of sans-serif fonts minimize eye strain when reading large amounts of text on modern digital devices.
Fonts Enhance Readability: Better spacing prevents words from running together, which is crucial for reducing visual stress and allowing readers to easily distinguish individual words.
Trouble choosing an accessible font? Try Atkinson Hyperlegible, developed by the Braille Institute of America - it’s free, and available on Google Fonts too.
To be fair, not every publishing platform has this exact font available, but there are many accessible options out there. Make sure the content you share can be viewed by as many as possible!
This post was adapted from a LinkedIn post of mine from a few weeks ago. I recently made some updates in our A11ySpaces Accessibility App and changed the display font to Atkinson Hyperlegible, so I wanted to share this information again for our newsletter readers! May all of your creations and designs keep accessibility in mind. 💛
-Britne
Well said! I think anyone who is designing marketing or outreach materials should be required to take a quick crash course in typefaces and accessibility. I see so many graphics or brochures with whispy or crazy fonts that are hard to read. It makes me cringe. Readability should be the number one priority.