The do's and don'ts of font formatting and hierarchy

In the digital world, how you present your content is just as important as the content itself. Font formatting and hierarchy play a crucial role in guiding your audience’s attention and enhancing the readability of your message. Whether you’re crafting a website, designing a newsletter, or creating social media posts, understanding these principles can significantly improve your brand’s visual communication.

As online business owners, mastering these elements can set you apart in a crowded digital landscape. Let’s talk about effective font formatting and how you can use it to elevate your online presence, engage your audience, and ultimately drive your business goals.

Size and Color: Creating Visual Hierarchy

Effective use of font size and color can guide your readers through your content, highlighting what’s most important.

Do:

Use larger fonts for main headings, slightly smaller for subheadings, and standard size for body text. This creates a clear visual hierarchy.
Use color to draw attention to key elements like call-to-action buttons or important information.
Consider using a size ratio, such as the golden ratio (1:1.618), to create a harmonious relationship between your font sizes.

Don’t:

Overuse large fonts or bright colors. If everything is emphasized, nothing stands out.
Use colors that clash with your brand palette or make text hard to read against the background.

Tip: Try the squint test. Step back and squint at your page. The hierarchy should still be visible even when the details are blurry.

Practical Application: On your homepage, make your main value proposition the largest text element. Use a complementary, attention-grabbing color for your primary call-to-action button.

Consistency with Brand Fonts

Your chosen fonts are an integral part of your brand identity. Consistent use of these fonts strengthens your brand recognition.

Do:

Stick to the fonts outlined in your brand guide. For example, if you’ve chosen a serif font for headings and a sans-serif for body text, use this combination consistently across all your materials.
Limit your selection to 2-3 fonts maximum for a cohesive look.
Consider using different weights of the same font family for variety while maintaining consistency.

Don’t:

Introduce new fonts on a whim. Using too many different fonts can make your content look disorganized and unprofessional.
Mix fonts that are too similar – they should either be clearly different or from the same family.

Tip: If you’re unsure about font pairings, look for inspiration from successful brands in your industry or consult a designer.

Practical Application: Create templates for your most-used content types (blog posts, social media graphics, email newsletters) with your brand fonts pre-set. This ensures consistency and saves time.

Proper Spacing for Readability

Good spacing makes your content more readable and less overwhelming for your audience.

Do:

Use appropriate line spacing (about 1.5 times your font size) for easy reading.
Add extra letter spacing to headings for emphasis.
Adjust paragraph spacing to be slightly larger than your line spacing to clearly delineate new paragraphs.

Don’t:

Cram text together with minimal spacing. Remember, white space isn’t wasted space—it’s essential for readability.
Use excessive letter spacing in body text, as it can disrupt the flow of reading.

Tip: For longer content, consider using a maximum width for your text columns (around 50-75 characters per line) to prevent eye strain.

Practical Application: In your blog posts, use ample paragraph spacing and consider adding extra space before subheadings to make the structure clear at a glance.

Text Alignment

Consistent text alignment contributes to a clean, professional look.

Do:

Choose an alignment that fits your content and stick with it. Left-aligned text is typically easiest to read for most web content.
Use center alignment for short, impactful statements or headings.
Consider right alignment for specific design elements, like dates in a timeline.

Don’t:

Mix different alignments within the same section. This can create a chaotic appearance.
Use justified text on websites, as it can create uneven spacing between words.

Tip: If you’re working with multiple columns, align the text to the outside edges (left-align left column, right-align right column) for a balanced look.

Practical Application: In your about page, left-align your main content for easy reading, but consider center-aligning a powerful quote or mission statement to make it stand out.

Emphasis and Formatting

Strategic use of formatting can highlight key information without overwhelming your readers.

Do:

Use bold or italics to emphasize important points.
Underlines can work too, but use them sparingly as they’re often associated with hyperlinks.
Consider using a different color (that complements your brand palette) for key terms or phrases you want to highlight.

Don’t:

Overuse emphasis. If too much text is bold or in all caps, it loses its impact and can be hard to read.
Mix too many types of emphasis in one section (e.g., bold, italic, underline, and color change all at once).

Tip: Read your content aloud. The words you naturally stress are often good candidates for emphasis.

Practical Application: In your sales pages, use bold for key benefits and italics for customer testimonials to make them stand out.

Strategic Line Breaks

Breaking up your content into digestible chunks makes it more appealing and easier to read.

Do:

Use line breaks to create shorter paragraphs. Aim for 2-4 sentences per paragraph in web content.
Incorporate bulleted or numbered lists for easy scanning.
Use subheadings to break up longer sections and guide readers through your content.

Don’t:

Create walls of text. Long, unbroken paragraphs can be intimidating and may discourage readers.
Overuse line breaks, which can make your content feel disjointed.

Tip: Use the “inverted pyramid” style for important content: start with the conclusion, then provide supporting details.

Practical Application: In your email newsletters, use short paragraphs and bullet points to highlight key information, making it easy for subscribers to quickly grasp your message.

Recap

The goal is to make your message clear and easy to consume. With practice, you’ll develop an eye for what works best for your brand and audience. As you implement these strategies, you’ll likely see improvements in engagement metrics like time on page, reduced bounce rates, and increased conversions. Keep refining your approach based on what resonates best with your specific audience, and don’t be afraid to experiment with new formatting ideas as long as they align with your brand identity and improve the user experience.