Typography in Web Design: Fonts, Readability & Accessibility

Introduction

Typography is more than just picking pretty fonts.
It’s the art and science of arranging text so it’s clear, readable, and meaningful.
In web design, good typography defines hierarchy, guides user attention, and enhances user experience.

In this post, we’ll cover:

• Principles of good typography for the web

• Font types, pairings, and performance

• Line height, spacing, and typographic hierarchy

• Accessible contrast and font sizing

• Practical CSS examples for implementing beautiful, legible type

By the end, you’ll know how to make your text feel right — balanced, readable, and consistent across devices.

1. Understanding Typography on the Web

Typography defines how content feels. Users rarely notice great typography — but poor typography instantly hurts usability.

1.1 The Key Elements of Web Typography

• Font family — The typeface(s) you use (e.g., Roboto, Inter, Georgia).

• Font weight — Thickness (e.g., 400, 700).

• Font size — Controlled via rem, em, or responsive units.

• Line height — Vertical space between lines.

• Letter spacing (letter-spacing) — Space between characters.

• Word spacing (word-spacing) — Space between words.

Typography affects reading speed, comprehension, and retention.
Research shows a well-chosen type hierarchy increases readability by up to 20–30 %.

2. Choosing Fonts for Web Design

2.1 Web-Safe vs. Web Fonts

• Web-safe fonts (Arial, Verdana, Times, Georgia, etc.) are universally supported and load instantly.

• Web fonts (Google Fonts, Adobe Fonts) allow creative expression but add network requests.

Use the font-display: swap property in CSS to ensure quick fallback while web fonts load:

@font-face {
  font-family: "Inter";
  src: url("Inter.woff2") format("woff2");
  font-display: swap;
}

2.2 Font Pairing Basics

Use two complementary fonts:

• One for headings (display serif or sans-serif)

• One for body text (neutral sans-serif)

Example pairs:

Rule of thumb — limit to 2 typefaces per site.

3. Readability: Size, Line Height & Spacing

3.1 Font Size

Base your text on the user’s root font size (usually 16 px = 1 rem).

body {
  font-size: 1rem;   /* 16px */
}

h1 { font-size: 2.5rem; }
h2 { font-size: 2rem; }
h3 { font-size: 1.5rem; }
p  { font-size: 1rem; }

Responsive typography can use clamp() for fluid scaling:

h1 {
  font-size: clamp(1.8rem, 2vw + 1rem, 3rem);
}

3.2 Line Height

Line height (line-height) affects readability dramatically.

• Ideal range: 1.4 – 1.8 for body text

• Headlines can be tighter: 1.1 – 1.3

p {
  line-height: 1.6;
}

3.3 Letter & Word Spacing

• Slightly increase letter spacing for uppercase text.

• Avoid excessive letter spacing in body copy — it reduces legibility.

4. Establishing Typographic Hierarchy

Visual hierarchy helps readers scan and understand your content structure.

Use differences in:

• Font size

• Weight

• Color/contrast

• Spacing (margin/padding)

• Capitalization

Example:

<article class="post">
  <h1>Typography in Web Design</h1>
  <h2>Readability and Accessibility</h2>
  <p>Typography is about communication, not decoration.</p>
</article>

h1 {
  font-size: 2.5rem;
  font-weight: 700;
  margin-bottom: 0.5em;
}

h2 {
  font-size: 1.5rem;
  color: #555;
  margin-bottom: 1em;
}

A clear hierarchy helps screen readers too — they use heading levels to navigate content.

5. Accessibility & Color Contrast

Typography and accessibility go hand in hand.

5.1 Contrast Ratio

Text should have at least:

• 4.5:1 contrast for normal text

• 3:1 for large text (above 18 px bold or 24 px normal)

Use contrast-checker tools to verify compliance with WCAG 2.1.

body {
  color: #222;
  background-color: #fff;
}

5.2 Don’t Use Only Color to Convey Meaning

Always pair color with another indicator (icon, underline, bold text).

5.3 Font Size & Accessibility

Let users resize text easily:

• Use rem units instead of px.

• Avoid fixed heights on text containers.

6. Performance & Best Practices

• Load only needed font weights (e.g., 400 and 700).

• Use variable fonts where possible — fewer requests, smoother scaling.

• Always define fallback fonts:

font-family: "Inter", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;

• Test readability on mobile: text should be legible without zooming.

• Ensure sufficient spacing between lines and paragraphs for touch interactions.

7. Example: A Simple Typographic System

HTML

<main class="typography-demo">
  <h1>Welcome to My Blog</h1>
  <h2>Design That Communicates</h2>
  <p>Typography is the backbone of visual communication. The right font choice enhances usability and style.</p>
  <a href="#">Read More →</a>
</main>

CSS

:root {
  --font-base: "Inter", Arial, sans-serif;
  --font-heading: "Poppins", sans-serif;
  --color-text: #222;
  --color-bg: #fff;
  --color-link: #0077ff;
}

body {
  font-family: var(--font-base);
  line-height: 1.7;
  background: var(--color-bg);
  color: var(--color-text);
  padding: 2rem;
}

h1, h2 {
  font-family: var(--font-heading);
  margin-bottom: 0.6em;
}

h1 {
  font-size: clamp(2rem, 4vw + 1rem, 3rem);
  line-height: 1.2;
}

h2 {
  font-size: 1.5rem;
  color: #555;
}

p {
  font-size: 1rem;
  margin-bottom: 1.5em;
}

a {
  color: var(--color-link);
  text-decoration: none;
}

a:hover {
  text-decoration: underline;
}

This system uses CSS variables for consistency, scalable units for responsiveness, and accessible contrast ratios.

✅ Summary & What’s Next

You’ve just learned:

• How typography shapes readability and UX

• Principles of font pairing and sizing

• Techniques for line height and spacing

• How to make text accessible and performant

• Practical CSS for consistent, beautiful type

In the next post, you’ll move into color, contrast, and visual hierarchy — learning how to create visually appealing, balanced designs using color theory and layout principles.

👉 Continue to “Colors, Contrast & Visual Hierarchy for Web Designers”.