Design

How to choose fonts for your website and format text: 10 free services.

How to choose fonts for your website and format text: 10 free services.

Learn: Font in Design

Learn more

We present ten useful online services for optimizing your work. These tools will help you quickly find and select fonts, as well as automate routine tasks and train your eye. Using these services will reduce errors and save you significant time.

Text Layout and Formatting

This is a free and simple tool designed to prepare text for web layout. It simplifies the process of editing and formatting content, which is especially useful for web developers and content managers. With its help, you can quickly and effectively adapt text to web design requirements, ensuring correct display on website pages.

Using "Typographer" allows you to significantly save resources by automating routine text formatting tasks. This tool automatically inserts non-breaking spaces, correct quotation marks and em dashes, and removes unnecessary spaces before punctuation marks. It is especially useful for processing large volumes of text, such as articles, longreads, news, or blog posts. With Typograf, you can significantly speed up the process of preparing content and improve its quality.

Typografed text: the service has inserted non-breaking spaces to prevent dangling prepositions and conjunctions from appearing during layout. Screenshot: Typograf website / Skillbox Media

This application offers users alternative and typographic symbols, complementing the standard keyboard layout. It is available for Mac and Windows operating systems and is free. By installing this extension, you can significantly expand your typing capabilities by adding unique symbols and characters.

Using this keyboard layout provides convenient text entry. With it, you can quickly and easily enter correct em dashes, minus signs, accents, and the infinity symbol, as well as standard symbols. This significantly simplifies the writing process and makes it more efficient for users who value correct text formatting.

If the typographic layout is not linked to the keyboard, symbols can be entered using codes. For example, in Windows, the opening quotation mark is typed using Alt + 0171, and the closing quotation mark is typed using Alt + 0187. In the Birman layout, users do not need to remember such combinations, since the symbols are assigned to separate keys and work in combination with Alt or Alt + Shift. For example, pressing Alt+D will display the degree sign °. Using typographic symbols significantly improves the quality of the text and makes it more readable.

Ilya Birman's Typographic Layout Cheat Sheet for Mac Image: Ilya Birman

This is a browser game in which players must manually select the distance between letters. Each correct choice is worth points. Players can develop their typography skills and improve their understanding of visual text perception. The game is suitable for both beginners and professionals seeking to enhance their design and layout expertise. Kern Me helps develop visual judgment, an essential skill for graphic, web, and UX/UI designers. Knowing how to correctly adjust kerning allows you to create visually appealing headings and button text elements. The game helps improve your ability to choose optimal letter spacing, which ultimately improves the quality of your designs and makes them more harmonious. Developing this skill is essential for creating effective and aesthetically pleasing interfaces.

Align letters, score points, and learn from mistakes. Screenshot: Kern Type / Skillbox Media website.

These tasks involve pairs of layouts or identical text fragments presented on one screen. Each of them is designed differently: one is well-executed, while the other contains errors. Participants must analyze both versions and select the one that meets design and formatting standards. These assignments help develop critical thinking skills and attention to detail, which is especially important in web design and content editing.

Using this tool promotes visual acuity. It clearly demonstrates the differences between problematic and acceptable typography, allowing users to automatically identify obvious errors in layouts. This improves designers' skills and helps create higher-quality visual materials.

Pairs of examples in the simulator are repeated several times. Screenshot: Maxim Ilyahov / Skillbox Media website.

This is a plugin for Figma, designed for working with texts in Cyrillic. It automates the process of inserting non-breaking spaces, correctly formatting two-level quotation marks, and correctly displaying the letter Ё. Using this plugin significantly simplifies working with texts, improving their readability and compliance with spelling standards. Using correct punctuation and text formatting helps save on proofreading costs. Correct punctuation is important not only for understanding the meaning of words but also for creating aesthetically pleasing content, which directly impacts the perception of the design. A user can read a text even if it contains errors and unnecessary spaces, but with the correct use of em dashes and commas in numbers, they are likely to be more favorable to the product. Thus, attention to detail in the design of the text increases trust in the brand and improves the overall impression of the product.

Image: Mikhail Danilov

Font selection

This is a set of tools that includes a font library, a service for selecting and customizing styles, and a plugin for determining Browser fonts. These components allow users to easily find and apply fonts that suit their projects. The font library offers a wide selection of typography, simplifying the process of choosing the right style. The style selection and customization service helps tailor fonts to specific needs, and the browser font detection plugin allows you to quickly identify fonts used on web pages. This toolkit is ideal for designers and developers looking to improve the visual appearance of their projects.

Using Font Playground allows you to effectively test text design ideas. In this section, you can create a sample, customize font pairs and background, and then see how it will look on the web page. This is a tool that helps visualize text elements and adapt them to your website design.

In the Font Playground section, you can manually "play" with the text and see the pros and cons of different solutions. For example, in this passage, the second paragraph is formatted with increased Letter Spacing, and holes appeared in the space between non-breaking spaces. Screenshot: Font Storage / Skillbox Media website

Study additional materials:

How to recognize a font: four online services for determining the name of the font

If you come across an interesting font and want to know its name, there are several effective There are online services that can help you with this. These tools allow you to identify fonts from an image or text, which greatly simplifies the task.

The first method is to use services that allow you to upload an image with a font. Such platforms analyze the image and suggest similar fonts from their database. The second option is text tools, where you can enter text written in a font and get a list of possible matches. The third method is to use mobile apps that recognize fonts using your device's camera. The fourth method is to participate in specialized forums and communities, where experienced designers can help you identify a font.

With these services, you can easily find the right font and use it in your projects.

This is a catalog of free fonts, which is an original collection. It organizes fonts into six main categories: grotesques, serifs, slab serifs, monospaces, scripts, and display fonts. Every font in the catalog is free to download and use, making it a valuable resource for designers, artists, and anyone seeking high-quality fonts for their projects.

Using Free Faces allows you to find unique design solutions. This resource is a great resource for those looking for ideas for a text logo or a display font for headlines and quotes, without wasting time browsing through numerous font libraries. However, it is worth remembering that not all fonts support Cyrillic, which may limit their use in your projects.

The resource is designed as a convenient and aesthetic card index. Screenshot: Free Faces / Skillbox Media website.

Read also:

Font Licenses: A Detailed Overview

Fonts play an important role in design and typography, so understanding font licenses becomes essential for professionals and amateurs alike. Licenses determine how fonts can be used and what restrictions may apply.

There are several types of font licenses, including free and paid options. Free fonts typically have restrictions on commercial use, while paid licenses provide more features and rights for use in a variety of projects.

Some licenses allow modification of fonts, while others strictly prohibit any changes. It is important to carefully review the license terms before use to avoid legal issues.

Popular license types include web, print, and app licenses. Each license has its own characteristics and requirements that may influence the choice of font for your project.

When choosing a font, it is important to consider not only its style but also the licensing terms to ensure legal and correct use. Choosing the right font license will help you avoid copyright issues and make your project more professional.

The font management application is designed for Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. It allows you to effectively organize fonts by folders, projects, and styles. Users can easily select typefaces, making the process of working with text more convenient and productive. This app will become an indispensable tool for designers, typographers, and anyone working with text graphics.

Using Fontbase keeps your font collection organized and improves clarity. The free version of the app includes the ability to pin a single font to the top of the interface, allowing you to easily find companion fonts. Fontbase offers a wide selection of openly licensed fonts and includes integration with popular libraries such as Google Fonts and Typekit. This makes Fontbase an ideal tool for designers and developers seeking ease of use in typography.

Another convenient feature: typesets without Cyrillic are immediately visible. Screenshot: Fontbase / Skillbox Media

To improve the SEO optimization of the text, it is important to use keywords that are relevant to the topic. Improve the structure of the content by adding headings and subheadings that will clearly reflect the essence of the text.

Pay attention to the use of meta tags and alt attributes for images. This will help improve the visibility of the page in search engines. Also, don't forget about the internal and external linking strategy, which can increase the authority of your content.

Don't forget about high-quality and unique content that answers user queries. This will not only help attract traffic but also retain readers' attention. Update information regularly and keep the material presented relevant.

Read also:

Font Pairs: 7 Useful Services for Designers

In the world of web design, font selection plays a key role in creating visually appealing and readable materials. The right font combination allows you to emphasize the style and individuality of each project. To simplify this process, there are various online services that can help designers find the perfect font pairings. In this article, we will look at seven of the most useful resources that will assist you in this task.

These services offer a wide selection of fonts, the ability to combine and visualize them, making the selection process more convenient. Using them, you can not only save time but also improve the quality of your design solutions. Regardless of your level of experience, these tools will be a great help in finding harmonious font combinations for your projects.

The font manager app for macOS is a convenient tool that allows you to quickly and efficiently select fonts for your projects without an internet connection. The font manager simplifies the process of finding and applying various fonts, making it indispensable for designers and developers. It allows you to easily organize and browse fonts, significantly speeding up your workflow and improving the quality of the final product.

Using this service can significantly speed up your workflow. It allows you to create tags and organize fonts by typeface, family, and project. This makes it easier to find the typefaces you need and helps you stay connected to the fonts you already have in your collection. Effective font organization increases productivity and saves time, which is especially important for designers and graphic design professionals.

Typeface offers a free 15-day trial, after which you must purchase the Pro version to access advanced features. With the Pro version, you can compare overlapping fonts, create font pairs, set up tracking, export fonts by project and tag, and develop PDF presentations for clients. Please note that a card issued outside of Russia is required for payment.

A simple and minimalistic font manager for macOS Screenshot: Typeface / Skillbox Media app

This is a browser-based calculator application designed to create typographic scales. With it, users can quickly and easily generate various typographic settings, significantly simplifying the design process. The application allows you to adjust font sizes, line spacing, and other parameters, ensuring harmonious text perception. Using this application, designers and developers can optimize their projects, achieving the perfect combination of readability and aesthetics.

Font scales, known as type scales, are a system of styles for headings, subheadings, and body text, all formatted in a uniform proportion. These scales help create harmonious and easy-to-read text by providing a visual hierarchy of content. A properly selected font scale improves information perception and increases the readability of web pages. The use of font scales is an important aspect of web design, as they not only allow you to structure text but also highlight key messages.

Using a consistent sizing hierarchy in design is a key aspect of optimization for various conditions. This approach creates rhythm in typography and ensures the responsiveness of elements. When scaling, all text elements will increase and decrease proportionally, which promotes a consistent style and improves the readability of the content across devices. This is especially important for ensuring readability and improving the usability of the website, which in turn has a positive impact on its SEO. Properly setting font sizes not only helps maintain visual harmony but also improves the user experience, which is an important factor in attracting and retaining audiences.

Type Scale significantly simplifies the work of designers by offering the creation of typographic systems and the calculation of relative element sizes. Instead of using pixels, the service uses em units, which are relative and depend on the main page element. For example, if the size of the main element is 80 pixels, then 0.1 rem would correspond to 8 pixels. This approach allows for flexibility and adaptability of design, which is especially important in modern web projects.

Screenshot: Type Scale / Skillbox Media website

Also study:

  • «About the font»: simple principles of good typography
  • Simple rules for mobile Typography
  • Bad fonts: why Comic Sans, Lobster, and Papyrus are hated

Font in design

You will learn the intricacies of choosing fonts in design, understand licenses - and get a new effective working tool.

Find out more