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Though many people who approach web design for the first time might not anticipate the issue, the selection of fonts for use on the web often involves precise decision-making and can involve a fair amount of deliberation. While there are scores of fonts available for modern use in word processing programs and other pieces of software, their applicability within the context is, for the most part, significantly limited. Often, designers and their clients must work with both their desires for a certain look and the needs of various users according to their browsers and other tools in order to arrive at a compromise that doesn’t adversely affect the user experience nor the aesthetic appeal of the site itself. In many cases, such compromises involve the use of fonts in terms of their applicability to primary content text, headings, and text within graphics, such as headers.

The actual body text of a web page is often where the issue of fonts has the most profound ability to enhance or hinder the look and usability of a site. While it can be tempting to use complex or exotic-looking fonts in these areas, options are fairly limited, and often, working conservatively with the most widely-available fonts can lead to the greatest results. Major choices often involve the decision of whether to use serif or sans-serif fonts; serif typefaces include small accentuating marks on individual letters, called serifs, which are often held to enhance the look of text. Sans-serif fonts do not include these marks. Of course, web designers and site owners are able to identify secondary font families for sites, ensuring that even if the primary font choice is not available for a certain visitor, they’ll still be able to read the relevant text, even if it is displayed in a font that may be less than ideal.

Within headings, fonts are often treated more liberally, and designers may wish to choose more outlandish styles for text. For the most customized and truly visually-impacting text, however, the creation of images is often required, and this use of text is most readily seen in header graphics and other major structural site images. Relying on the ability of pictures to load (and creating accurate and comprehensive alternative text entries for images to provide a backup), designers can incorporate the fanciest of fonts into major titles and site names, creating strong initial visual impressions without making content difficult to read or potentially unavailable.

When sound choices are made in regards to website fonts, visitors are bound to appreciate the resulting blend of visual appeal and readability. Though it can be challenging for designers to meet the needs of their design clients while also creating a site that is compliant with modern web standards and which is likely to allow for a superior user experience, taking care to implement the seemingly trivial element of font will greatly improve both the polish and panache of any web project.