What is a bad font?

Contents:

• Should you read or should you scan?
• Adjusting font speed
• I'm that bad type, make your mama sad type
• How not to turn a font into a bad one

Graduate of the Design Department of the Moscow Power Engineering Institute and the two-year program "Font and Typography" at the British Higher School of Art and Design. She specializes in type and graphic design. She is the co-founder of the Byurobookv studio. She teaches at BBE and BoldItalic. She has created fonts for companies such as Yandex, VKontakte, MTS, MegaFon, Arzamas, and many others. She is a finalist and winner of prestigious competitions, including D&AD, ADC Awards, Modern Cyrillic, Granshan, Morisawa Type Design Competition, and the Sreda festival. Your first hand-drawn letters are unlikely to be perfect and will not bring instant industry recognition. The exception is if you have an experienced mentor or teacher with a high level of professionalism. However, this does not mean that mastering font design is an impossible task. A high-quality font is created through a deep understanding of design fundamentals and practice, as well as the ability to analyze how various system solutions are applied in practice. A keen eye and the ability to adapt to modern trends in font design play an important role. By working on your skills and studying existing fonts, you will be able to create unique and harmonious letters that will stand out from the crowd.

The most important aspect of font and typography design is understanding the target audience and purpose of each specific font. This is the key to its effectiveness and expressiveness. The right choice of font can significantly affect the perception of the text and its perception by the reader.

Are you reading or scanning?

The suitability of the font for the job depends on the specific task, and it is this task that determines its quality. It is important to consider how the font meets the requirements of the project and how it affects the perception of information. The right choice of font can improve the readability and visual perception of the text, while the wrong font can be distracting or difficult to read. Therefore, evaluating a font should be based on its functionality and suitability for your project's goals.

For extended reading, we typically use serifs. Their serifs easily guide the eye, and the letters appear neutral, not distracting from the information. Furthermore, readers develop reading habits: most long texts in books, newspapers, and magazines are printed in this font. Serifs have become so familiar that replacing them with grotesques in a literary work can be perceived as strange and complicating reading. Therefore, the choice of font is of great importance for the ease of reading and the creation of a comfortable reading environment.

Navigation requires special attention to font selection. It is recommended to use fonts with slightly bolder weights that have wide, clear graphics. Open sans-serifs are most often used in such cases. It is important that the letterforms are clear and easily distinguishable. For example, the letter C should be clearly distinguished from the O, and the P and L should not merge into a single shape. Arial, which is used in our road navigation, is an example. Choosing the right font improves information comprehension and promotes safer travel.

Using a narrow, closed font with a light outline for navigational purposes can negatively affect readability. This typeface makes it difficult to perceive text from a distance, making it ineffective for navigation. Therefore, it is important to choose fonts that provide good legibility and readability from a distance.

Adjusting Font Speed

Before you start working with text, you need to determine its recognition speed in advance. This will help ensure easy information perception and improve the user experience. Optimal text recognition speed promotes more effective interaction with content and increases the likelihood that users will stay on the page longer.

When creating navigation elements, high information perception speed is important, so a grotesque font such as Navigo is the optimal choice. For display and expressive tasks, such as in advertising, it is recommended to use more complex fonts or lettering. These styles attract attention and encourage consumers to linger on reading, overcoming perception difficulties, which increases the likelihood of remembering the advertising message. The correct choice of font plays a key role in the effectiveness of communication and perception of information.

I'm that bad type, make your mama sad type

Vladimir Krichevsky, a recognized expert in typography, argues that there are no bad fonts. The key is to use each font correctly depending on the context. The choice of font should be based on its functionality and purpose, which allows for the most effective communication with the audience. Correct use of fonts can significantly improve the perception of the text and increase its readability.

Read also:

A campaign supporting the Comic Sans font aims to raise awareness of dyslexia. This font, often underestimated, has become a symbol of the fight against bias and stereotypes around dyslexia. Research shows that Comic Sans can make reading easier for people with this disorder thanks to its simplicity and clarity. Participating in this campaign not only helps raise awareness of dyslexia but also promotes a more inclusive approach to font design and reading materials. Thus, supporting Comic Sans is an important step in promoting education and understanding of dyslexia.

Many people don't think about font selection and often choose the first font installed on their computer. While this isn't a critical mistake, the font chosen this way may not meet the requirements of your project. Choosing the right font is crucial for the perception of text. It affects readability, visual perception, and the overall impression of the content. Therefore, it's important to pay attention to the font's selection so that it not only matches the style but also fulfills its primary function—facilitating the comprehension of information. The choice of font should be justified and based on the objectives of your project to achieve maximum impact.

There's an important aspect to consider when choosing fonts for web design. Even if the letters look aesthetically pleasing and are great for print, the lack of hinting—the process of optimizing fonts for screens—makes them ineffective on the web. As a result, such fonts display poorly on screens, negatively impacting readability and user perception. Therefore, when choosing fonts for websites, it's important to consider not only their visual characteristics but also the presence of hinting to ensure high-quality display on a variety of devices.

This is usually not the case with macOS, as this operating system has high-quality built-in rasterization. However, in Russia, most users choose the Windows system.

How to avoid turning a font into a bad one

When choosing a font for long reading, it is important to avoid non-standard and complex designs. Such fonts can make the text difficult to perceive, negatively affecting its readability. Font quality directly affects reading comfort and, consequently, the overall impression of the material. Therefore, it is recommended to choose simple and clear fonts that facilitate easy perception of information. Neutral fonts are often universal and suitable for a variety of tasks. Expressive fonts require more careful selection and use, as they can be distracting. However, if your goal is to attract the attention of the viewer or user, it is worth considering bright and display fonts. They can highlight the text and make it more noticeable, which is especially important in conditions of high competition for the audience's attention. The correct choice of font can significantly improve the effectiveness of communication and improve the perception of information. There are certain rules regarding the writing of the Cyrillic alphabet. For example, the letter "б" should not look like the number 6 or a combination of a capital letter and a number. It is also important that it does not resemble the Serbian letter "б", as they are different. The letter "ч" shouldn't look like the number 4. The letter "ф" has both ascenders and descenders, which is often forgotten. The question of the correct shape of the letters "л" and "д" is also relevant: should they be triangular or trapezoidal? Incorrectly writing the letters "ш" and "щ" with a short middle stroke is a common mistake among beginners. Following these rules helps improve the quality of writing and the perception of the Cyrillic alphabet.

When choosing a font, it's important to carefully consider its purpose. If, for example, you need a font for a book by an 18th-century English author, Caslon would be an excellent choice. There was a saying at the time: "If you're in doubt, set it in Caslon," confirming its popularity. If you're designing a website, consider the theme of the resource and ensure the font you choose has web versions for optimal display. For a rock music album, avoid neutral serifs, as they can look out of place and boring. Choosing the right font significantly impacts the perception and success of your project. Don't confuse an inappropriate font with low quality. When choosing a font, it's important to consider the proportions and consistency of letters, as well as kerning. These characteristics are indicators of a high-quality font. A well-chosen font not only improves the readability of the text but also contributes to the creation of a harmonious design. Perfect kerning is invisible to the eye and is rarely considered. Letters are arranged harmoniously, without clumping or gaps. Proper kerning ensures the readability of the text and improves the perception of information. Proper letter spacing helps create a professional and aesthetically pleasing design, which is especially important in typography and web design.

When choosing fonts, a conscious approach is key. If you plan to create your own letters, it is important to clearly understand the purposes for which they will be used. This will help you choose the appropriate style and ensure harmonious perception of the text. The use of fonts should be consistent with the overall concept of your project.

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• Good, bad, too beautiful. How font fashion influences lettering
• How do designers approach fonts? Olga Pankova explains
• What font is this? Four services that will help you find out the name
• "About the font": simple principles of good typography