Learn how to work with fonts, lay out typography, pair different typefaces, and find collections of inspiring fonts to use in your next project.
With all the talk about designing for responsive websites, two little words keep cropping up – em and rem. But what are they?
Em and rem, along with pixels, are units and methods to measure and resize type. Em and rem are relative, rather than static, units and are being used more and more for responsive web design schemes. Let’s dive into this concept today and explain things a little more clearly!
Design trends have to be used cautiously. Just as quickly as many trends come into fashion; they can fall out of favor and make a design feel dated.
Don’t ignore them completely — testing out trends can stretch your creative muscles and help you create something you might not have tried otherwise. But do be aware of what’s fresh, what’s timeless, and what’s out of date!
Here are 10 design trends that are over (or should be anyway).
Hand drawn fonts seem to be almost everywhere. But how do you use them in a way that’s different and effective? When it comes to hand-drawn fonts, these tips can help you create something that’s readable and matches the tone of your project.
The hand-drawn font design trend can be somewhat tricky and isn’t necessarily for all projects.
If you do go down this route, make sure you’re approaching it in a way that doesn’t compromise the goals of your design project!
When it comes to choosing the best font for subtitles (or any other captioning), nothing matters more than readability. Clear subtitles are more than just identification on the screen, they can be a means of accessibility for many users.
You’ve probably seen a fair share of good – and bad – subtitle font options. (I remember watching a movie where the subtitles were yellow and nearly unreadable in some scenes. That’s not a good choice!) Closed captions are also common for viewing video on social media – who wants to play the sound at work? – and to understand content in another language.
Today, we’ll look at some of the best fonts for subtitles, and tips for creating small text elements on a moving video background that people will actually want to read.
What is the best font for your resume? It’s not a loaded question. Too often people over think typography choices for resumes or cover letters because they think the type has to look “designed.” The reality is that it just needs to be highly readable.
So where do you start? Today, we’ve got ten great options to help you choose a readable, well-designed typeface to help your resume or cover letter stand out.
All these fonts stand out from the crowd, while also keeping your resume clear, classy, and readable!
The font a brand selects for their logo can evolve into lettering that people identify with a company or product. Just think about the typefaces for Coca-Cola, Disney or even eBay. Even if you see those typefaces without the brand names, there’s still an immediate connection.
That’s the value of choosing the best logo font for your brand. So how do you do it?
Here are ten tips to help you choose the best logo font you can with examples of logos that feature amazing typography.
The standards for typography on the web have shifted. Designers are going with bigger, easier to read typography that is more seamless and consistent across devices. The trend toward bigger web typography started with oversized treatments above the scroll, from headlines to more artistic hero header text elements.
Body text sizes concurrently started to increase on mobile devices to enhance readability. And from there, the trend started to trickle down to almost all aspects of web type. If you haven’t thought about the size of copy on your website recently, it’s time to revisit that 12 or 14-point/pixel body copy. Large text is in!
Adding effects to typography can be a source of heartache for designers. Clients demand a drop shadow or embossing, and you’re stuck with text effects that threaten to ruin a project. What you need is an arsenal of text effects that don’t suck so you can help the client pivot to something a little more classy.
The trick to all of these effects is using them with purpose. Good typography doesn’t need “help.” If a font isn’t working alone, it’s not going to work with a bunch of techniques added either. (You’ll only make something bad even worse.)
The best text effects are nearly invisible to non-designers. Or text effects are used to add meaning to typography or lettering. Here are a few tips for using text effects that don’t suck with some pretty cool examples.
Always wanted to know the difference between serif, sans, script, and slab fonts? Look no further. Take your typography game to the next level, and quit guessing if certain typefaces or font pairs work together. Back your logic with a little design theory!
Having a better knowledge of fonts and typography can make explaining your choices to clients easier (always a bonus), and will give you more confidence when selecting font pairs. Here’s a primer (or refresher) on four common font types and how to use them in your design projects.
Designing content is more than just making something look great. You have to create a design that people will actually read, and help them engage with the content. Sometimes, that’s easier said than done.
People generally have short attention spans, and you shouldn’t expect them to digest every word on the screen. But you can use certain design techniques and elements to help users read as much as possible.
There are a ton of design rules that get stuck in your head. Things more senior designers suggested, elements of design theory, or lessons learned in classes along the way. But maybe you should actually break some of these rules?
Design trends and concepts change a lot over time. Technological advances, in particular, have changed some of the rules. Design is an evolving process and what works today, might change tomorrow. With that in mind, here are three design rules you should actually try to break.
Some websites look great, even if they defy conventional wisdom or tenets of design theory. A new design trend is showcasing that very idea with elements that cover or obstruct some of the text in the design.
It’s an interesting trend because it goes against everything we commonly talk about with design – that it must be readable to connect with users quickly.
Needless to say, this can be a tricky technique to pull off effectively, but the designs are striking and impactful when done well. Here’s a breakdown of the trend and some ideas for how you can try it yourself.