You wouldn't think that something as seemingly insignificant as the type of font you use (i.e., Times New Roman, Arial, Helvetica, Garamond, etc.) could be so important, but it really is. As one of the goals of technical communication, we try our best to make information easy to find and understand. The type of font being used has a lot to do with this goal.

Simply put, there are font types that are easier to read and understand than others. What we want to do is identify those that are easiest to understand, and utilize them in our communications. However, that's not to say we'll never use any other type of font. On the contrary, there is a time and a place for everything, and certain fonts are more appropriate for certain situations than others.

For now, let's identify the characteristics of fonts. The main characteristic is the use of the serif. A serif (figure 1) is a small, decorative line that is added to the end of each terminal element (such as the leg and cross endings of a 'T') in certain print characters. Font type is said to be either serif (the 'A' on the left in figure 1) or sans serif (the 'A' on the right in figure 1).

Figure 1. The 'A' on the left is written in Times New Roman, a serif font, and the 'A' on the right is written in Arial, a sans serif font. The serif on the leg of the left 'A' is highlighted.

According to research, the easiest font type to read is Times New Roman. This is because its use of small serifs allow the eye to quickly separate the letters from each other. It also allows the eye to quickly recognize the letters because it sets each apart independently. Look at the following example (figure 2) of a set of capitalized 'i' characters interlaced with lowercase 'l' characters in the Arial font type.

Figure 2. Capitalized 'i' characters interlaced with lowercase 'l' characters in the Arial font type.

Notice how much alike they look. Arial has no serifs, therefore no method to quickly tell the eye which letter is different. Below (figure 3) is the same example, but the 'i' has been reverted to lowercase and the 'L' to uppercase.

Figure 3. Lowercase 'i' characters interlaced with uppercase 'L' characters in the Arial font type.

This may not seem like such a problem, but imagine if you were given a password that used mixed-case (upper and lowercase) letters like those above in Arial. This has happened to me, personally, and it's quite frustrating.

Let's look at the same demonstration with Times New Roman (figure 4).

Figure 4. Capitalized 'i' characters interlaced with lowercase 'l' characters in the Times New Roman font type.

The serifs allow us to quickly and more easily distinguish the difference between the letters. Thus, the serifs in this case are a useful tool. When faced with longer, more complicated pieces of text, the differences stand out even more. Notice the difference in readability between the passages in figure 5 using these two different types.

Figure 5. Uppercase and lowercase examples of Arial versus Times New Roman.

Hence, try to use the font type that will help you best meet your objective. If you want readers to easily find information within a lot of text (like paragraphs on a printed page), use Times New Roman or a similar font type. Sans serif fonts like Arial and Helvetica, however, have been demonstrated to be better for information found on the web (the current font is called Verdana), so use those where appropriate.

That isn't to say there are not appropriate times and places for other font types. Take the following for example (figure 6). It is written in Bickham script pro (Adobe), a font using elaborate serifs to mimic calligraphy. Most would agree that it is difficult to read, and we'd never want to use it for long text in which someone needed to quickly and easily find information.

Figure 6. Passage written in Bickham script pro, a serif font.

However, it would be most appropriate for a wedding invitation or graduation announcement. We expect this type of font to be used in those moments.

Ultimately, as always, you want to use the right type of font that matches your purpose.

For technical, professional and business communication help in the Las Cruces, NM area, visit Lanier Infomedia. 

Last update: 27-03-2009 13:45