The font you choose for your website often plays an extremely vital role in the way people perceive and react to your website. This is because when it comes to readability on the web, some fonts are easier to read than others.
Fonts come under two categories, namely, serif (fonts with cross lines at the ends of the letters) and sans serif (fonts without the cross lines). Studies conducted have shown that while people read serif text faster in print, the most common being Times New Roman, when it comes to onscreen reading sans serif fonts are more quicker to read. Among the sans serif fonts used on websites Arial and Verdana are the most popular.
Which to use –Arial or Verdana?
While both Arial and Verdana are modern, professional and have been used widely, there has been an ongoing debate about which is the better of the two, especially when it comes to its use in a business website.
An article by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson, titled “HTML E-Mail: Text Font Readability Study”, published in “Web Marketing Today”, discussed the readability of different fonts in HTML documents. Dr. Wilson in his research compared Verdana and Arial, and found that at 12 pt. font, Arial was easier to read. Yet when the font size was decreased by a point, the gap widened between those who thought Verdana was easier to read and those who favored Arial. When it was further decreased to a 9 pt. font, Verdana was chosen as more easily read by 74% of the people surveyed. Analyzing the results of the survey leads to the conclusion that Arial should be used by those using a 12pt or larger font online, and those opting for 10pt or smaller should use Verdana.
Web designers also advice choosing Verdana for better readability of a long copy, whereas Arial should be used for a shorter and more professional look. This is because Verdana is a bit rounder and its letter spacing isn’t as tight as Arial. While this is immaterial for short pieces, for longer sessions Verdana is easier on the eyes. Another recommendation is to use Arial for headlines and titles and Verdana for the text. There are also others who feel that while Arial is a good bet with all ages, Verdana is more appealing to younger audiences.
Whatever you choose, it’s always a safe bet to go with either Arial or Verdana.
