In the present-day scenario of an ever-increasing number of apps, websites, and mobile UIs, vying for the users’ attention, the textual aspect of the design is as important as the image/video aspect, if not more. Hence, honing their typography skills has become exceptionally important for UI designers across the board.

After all, typography is no more limited to the meagre selection of font styles and line spacing, or about making the text legible, but is also a ruling factor in the way the intended user perceives the UI design aesthetic.

We bet you don’t need us to tell you that once a design fails to attract or retain the user’s attention, its actual utility and functionality have very little use. Simply put, typography in UI design can make or break the future of a website, mobile app, or even a mobile UI!

Now that we know why typography is important in the world of user interface design, let us go ahead and understand the various elements of typography, in addition to the available tools that you can put to use in order to offer an unforgettable experience to the end-user.

What is Typography?

As relayed by the Oxford Dictionary typography is the art or work of preparing books, etc. for printing, especially in designing how the text will appear when printed.

Now, we all know that the world of print and manuscript writing is far behind us, and the new era is all about websites and mobile applications. Hence, the definition of typography has an upgrade.

Typography in UI design can be defined as the art of choosing, organizing, and using typeface(s) that ensure that the copy is legible, readable, and scalable. In addition to the same, the typography skills of a designer must also ensure that the chosen typeface has a favorable visual impact on the user, thereby improving the interface conversion rate.

Why is Typography Important in Design? 

Given that a vast majority of the information online is presented as text, the importance of typography cannot be understated. While the images and design elements can be striking, it is the text that often communicates the message. To ensure that the message is communicated clearly, in the proper order, in a short span of time, typography is critical. Check out this article to learn more about why typography is important in UI Design.

Elements of Typography

To create exceptional typography that can truly enhance the chances of a website or application becoming a raving success, one must first understand the various elements that good typographic design entails.

Fonts

A font can be defined as a collection of letters with the same weight, width, and style. When it comes to fonts, here are the 7 most common fonts that form the primary choice of designers in the mobile and website UI arena –

• Serif font
• Sans serif font
• Slab serif font
• Script font
• Decorative font
• Comic font
• Retro font

Typefaces

A Typeface can be defined as a family of related font types. For instance, the serif typeface comprises all fonts that contain a ‘serif’ i.e. a small line or stroke attached to the end of a larger stroke. On the other hand, fonts under the umbrella of Sans Serif typeface do not contain the extra downward vertical stroke, making them appear to be more modern, and easier to read on a digital screen. It is due to this very reason that most present-day graphic designers are shying away from using serif typefaces.

Line Height and Letter Spacing

As indicated by the name, this element is all about the physical distance between two letters and two lines. For the text to have seamless readability, the letter and line spacing should be just adequate – not too much, nor too little.

Font Weight, Height, and Size

For a font to be uniform, every letter of the font needs to have the same width, height, and size. The letters should also have a similar font weight. Font weight refers to the “value” assigned to a font, to determine how bold or light the text will appear.

Only when all of these elements align, can the typography be considered good.

The Zignuts’ Take

We hope that you now have all the requisite insights pertaining to typography, the use of multiple typefaces including serif and sans serif type, the ideal use of white space, and other key elements of typography. For all we know, graphic designers ought to make the best of this seemingly unimportant but rather usual visual language that impacts the bottom line of any website development or mobile app development to a great extent.