In the creative realm, visual ideas and good design matter most. This goes hand in hand with website design as well, only this time, you're coupling those concepts with concrete information in the effort to boost sales, promote your product and your brand, and in general, make your website work for you. Here are some ways to make life easier for the reader to take in your message, whether it be on a magazine ad, an ad on your website, or your website as a whole.
Use easy to read typefaces. Most newspapers are set in serif type. Serifs the little feet that are found at the bottom of letters that line up to keep the eye moving horizontally along the line, rather than straying below to the next line. A study has also found that using sans-serif type on a regular space reduced comprehension from 67 to 12 percent! The eye also recognizes shapes more than letters and a word in all capitals has less shape than the word in caps and lower case. The eye also finds it tiring to read reversed out type in any great volume. 'Reversed out' refers to the setting of the text in a light color, and then putting it against a dark or high contrasting background. Reversing out has been known to halve response. So, learn to use sans-serif, capitals and reversing out in moderation.
Just as reversed out type is difficult to read, type set over tints or textures or colors is even more difficult to read, because it does not stand out that clearly. Equally, very small type is not a good idea. Lots of people can't read it very easily. This goes for being consistent with the typeface you use throughout, and don't change typefaces unnecessarily. Constant changes in typeface are ugly and imply an immaturity in the design process. Our eyes don't like constantly having to readjust.
Use narrow measure. You will notice that on newspapers and magazines that the words are set in narrow columns. That is because the eye likes to travel down the center of a column rather than having to go back and forth along one large column all the time. Similarly, long, unbroken blocks of text are hard to read. Simply put, big blocks of type are daunting. For this reason, you should break up your copy with lots of crossheads, sub headers, or images. These make your content more approachable and interesting to look at. It also enables the reader to learn the essence of your message from the subsidiary headings, which boosts their comprehension and encourage them to read further.
Justify your columns. Comprehension goes down if the edges of columns are ragged, that is to say, unjustified. Once again, this is simply because the eye has to work harder. Also, minimize your use of large headings. Art directors love them, but people do not generally read your website from across the room. Large headings are oftentimes, a waste of space, and more importantly, a waste of time.
Remember that first impressions last, and this is also very true for websites. Your layout and your choice of typeface contribute heavily to your website's impression on your visitors, so consider them very, very well.
No comments:
Post a Comment