Typography
Typography is the art and technique of working with type, covering typeface choice, font size, line spacing, letter spacing, and the visual hierarchy of text. Its goal is to make written text legible, clear, and visually appealing. On websites and in branding, typography strongly shapes how people perceive both the content and the brand.
Typography isn't just about aesthetics—it has a measurable impact on legibility, comprehension, and how people behave on a website:
- Users don't read text—they scan it: NNGroup eye-tracking research (500+ participants, 750+ hours of testing over 13 years) showed that users read only about 20% of the text on a page on average. 79% of users simply scan a new page (NNGroup – How Users Read on the Web)
- Font size affects comprehension: an eye-tracking study of 104 participants (Rello & Pielot, CHI 2016) found that text set at 18px or larger leads to significantly better comprehension and readability (Rello & Pielot – Make It Big!, CHI 2016)
- The right font can increase reading speed by 35%: a study of 352 participants aged 18–71 (Wallace et al., ACM TOCHI, 2022) tested 16 common fonts and found up to a 35% difference in reading speed between the fastest and the slowest font (Wallace et al. – Towards Individuated Reading Experiences, ACM TOCHI 2022)
- Typeface style affects at-a-glance legibility: research by MIT AgeLab and Monotype with 67 participants showed that humanist fonts are legible 8.8% faster than geometric fonts (MIT AgeLab / Monotype – Glance-Based Legibility Research)
- Web fonts are the standard: according to the HTTP Archive Web Almanac 2025, about 88% of websites use web fonts, and Google Fonts accounts for roughly 47–54% of them (HTTP Archive – Web Almanac 2025, Fonts)
FAQ
What's the minimum font size to use on a website?
An eye-tracking study of 104 participants (Rello & Pielot, CHI 2016) showed that a size of 18px or larger leads to significantly better text comprehension. For body text on websites, the current recommendation is at least 16px, ideally 18px or more. Smaller sizes measurably reduce legibility, especially for users over 30 (MIT AgeLab).
Serif or sans serif on the web?
NNGroup research shows that on modern HD screens, the difference in legibility between serif and sans-serif fonts is no longer statistically significant. The specific design of a typeface matters more than its category—open, humanist letterforms read better than geometric and condensed ones. An MIT AgeLab study (67 participants) confirmed that the humanist font Frutiger was legible 8.8% faster than the geometric Eurostile (NNGroup – Serif vs. Sans-Serif Fonts for HD Screens).
How many fonts should a website use?
Best practice is to stick to 2–3 font families. One font for headings and another for body text creates a clear visual hierarchy. NNGroup research confirms that users mostly scan pages, and a consistent typographic hierarchy helps them quickly find what they're looking for (NNGroup – How Users Read on the Web).
Sources:
- NNGroup – How Users Read on the Web – eye-tracking research, 500+ participants, 750+ hours of testing
- Rello & Pielot – Make It Big! (CHI 2016) – eye-tracking study of 104 participants
- Wallace et al. – Towards Individuated Reading Experiences (ACM TOCHI 2022) – study of 352 participants on how fonts affect reading speed
- MIT AgeLab / Monotype – Glance-Based Legibility Research – 67 participants, how typeface style affects legibility
- HTTP Archive – Web Almanac 2025, Fonts – analysis of millions of websites, web font statistics
- NNGroup – Serif vs. Sans-Serif Fonts for HD Screens – research on legibility on HD screens
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