To the large majority, a typeface is rather unimportant. However, at Senior they are seen as the pinnacle of any great website.
The typeface can dictate or strengthen a brand message, or make a website more personable. It is very much a core ingredient when designing web pages. With online media always evolving, it is important to stay ahead of competition in every aspect. One thing that is normally not a high consideration is the typeface used. Your usual font will normally be an easy to read, standard web font such as Arial (San Serif) or Georgia (Serif).
With the introduction of more and more free font resources, including Google Fonts and Font Squirrel (to name just a few), there is increased exposure of different online fonts. As more new typefaces are introduced, the perception is starting to change, and the typeface on a website is becoming more important.
With that in mind, are these free font libraries as good as the paid for premium font galleries? I’ll be looking at three key elements when looking into each provider (Cost will not be a factor):
- Design
- Ease of use/ installation online
- Library
“A good typeface creates an emotional response in relation to the message it is conveying. You're trying to get that tone of voice right - you can shout or whisper. And you want to sum up the spirit of the age, because they do date quite quickly”
Jonathan Barnbrook, founder of the website Virus Fonts. (BBC interview, 2010).
No matter what provider you use, there are advantages and disadvantages. Each will appeal to different markets and companies. We have our favourite, what’s yours?