Type and text
Typography that reads well on any background and any screen.
200 guides · 11 topics
Type and textText on gradient background: how to make it read every time
5 min read
A gradient changes under every letter, so a colour that reads at one end can vanish at the other. Here is the method that keeps words readable across the whole blend.
Type and textFont pairing: simple rules that work
5 min read
Two typefaces that look good alone can fight when they share a page. A few rules, and a handful of proven pairs, take the guesswork out of it.
Type and textTypography basics: size, weight, spacing and rhythm
5 min read
Most of what makes type look professional is not the font. It's six decisions about size, weight and space, and each one has a sensible default.
Type and textSerif vs sans serif: how to choose the right typeface
5 min read
The old rule said serifs for print and sans serifs for screens. Screens changed, the rule didn't. Here is what actually matters when you choose.
Type and textBest fonts for social media: faces that read on a phone
5 min read
Your post is designed on a big screen and read on a small one, often in bright light, in a second. These are the typefaces and sizes that survive that trip.
Type and textVisual hierarchy: getting people to read in the right order
5 min read
Every design is read in some order. If you don't choose it, the loudest element does. Here is how to decide what comes first, second and third, and make it happen.
Type and textLine height and line length for readable text
7 min read
Most text that feels tiring to read has the right font and the wrong spacing. Two settings fix most of it: how tall each line is and how long it runs.
Type and textLetter spacing: when to open up type and when to tighten it
6 min read
A few hundredths of an em decide whether a label looks considered or cramped. Here is where to add space between letters, where to take it away, and where to leave it alone.
Type and textVariable fonts, explained for designers
6 min read
One file, every weight in between, and type that adjusts itself to the size you set it at. Variable fonts change what a type system can do, if you know which axes to reach for.
Type and textDisplay fonts: how to design with big type
6 min read
Big type can carry a whole design on its own. It can also shout, crowd and date badly. The difference is mostly in the choice of face, the size and what you pair it with.
Type and textHow to choose brand fonts that last
5 min read
A brand font gets used on everything from a billboard to a password reset email. Choosing one is less about taste in the moment and more about whether it can do every job for years.
Type and textText over image: seven ways to keep words readable
5 min read
A photo that looks great on its own can swallow any headline you put on it. These seven techniques keep the words readable without hiding the picture behind a box.
Type and textText effects that don’t look dated: outline, extrude, echo
5 min read
Most text effects look dated because they are applied to everything, at full strength, with no reason. Used on one word, in the right weight and colour, they are some of the most expressive tools in type.
Type and textPutting type on busy backgrounds without a box
6 min read
The usual fixes are a dark panel, a drop shadow or a blur. Each one works, and each one announces itself. There is a quieter way to make words read.