Typography is an essential subset of UI/UX design. Let us learn what it is and why it plays a key role in your brand’s digital presence.
Typography in UI/UX Design
Typography is what makes a piece of text on a digital interface come to life:
- It is the skill of arranging and presenting text in a manner that makes it readable, more aesthetically attractive, and brand-appropriate
- You cannot convert users if your typography choices make it difficult to decipher your app or website’s content
- You cannot retain users if your content does not properly communicate your brand’s personality or value proposition
- You can end up deceiving your target users if your font or typography choices do not match your brand’s message
Text is the main way your digital product’s UI/UX design can communicate your brand’s message. Good typography choices make sure that you convey it in the best way possible.
These are the broad and fundamental reasons why typography is considered to be uber-important in the UI/UX design space. But, there are also many deeper and subtler reasons why this skill is so essential:
Typefaces Impact Our Emotions
Typefaces or fonts, are the visual representations of text characters; they are defined by their unique design characteristics, such as:
- The thickness of strokes (weight)
- The presence or absence of serifs (small decorative lines at the ends of characters)
- The overall shape and style of the letters
Research has shown that different typefaces can evoke distinct emotional responses in readers due to their inherent personality traits:
- A study published in the IEEE Proceedings found that people associate certain font characteristics with specific emotions and personality traits
- Angular fonts like Helvetica are often perceived as more masculine, serious, and professional
- Rounded fonts like Lucida are seen as more feminine, friendly, and approachable
- This effect is thought to be due to the subconscious associations our brains make between typeface attributes and human characteristics
In the real world, these emotional responses to typography can be observed in various contexts:
- Companies only choose typefaces that align with their brand personality; Apple uses a font called San Francisco, which conveys a sense of sleekness
- Magazines and newspapers carefully select fonts to create a specific tone for their content; The New York Times uses a classic serif font called Imperial, which exudes credibility
- Advertisers leverage the emotional power of typography to convey subtle, psychological messages; Coca-Cola’s iconic cursive logo, set in a rounded font, evokes feelings of nostalgia
Needless to say, the choice of typeface in UI/UX designs also has a significant impact on user perception:
- A financial app might use a more formal, angular font to convey trustworthiness
- A social media app could opt for a mix of bold and colorful fonts, enhancing the fun and spontaneous nature of the platform
By understanding the emotional associations and personality traits inherent in different fonts or typefaces, designers can make more informed choices that enhance the overall impact of their work.
Typography’s Impact on Learning and Memory
The font used to present information can also influence how well we learn and remember it. A study in Discover Magazine explored the concept of ‘desirable difficulty’ – the idea that slightly harder-to-read fonts may actually enhance learning and retention:
- Fonts like Bodoni and Comic Sans, which are less familiar, require more mental effort to process
- This increased cognitive load leads to deeper encoding of the information
- This deep encoding makes it easier to recall later
Educational platforms like Duolingo and Khan Academy’s UI/UX designs often feature varied typography to enhance learning:
- Duolingo employs playful and slightly unconventional typefaces that engage users while requiring them to focus on the content
- This focus usually leads to improved retention of language concepts
- Users are more likely to remember the lessons presented in a font that captures their attention
This principle can be effectively applied to non-educational apps as well:
- Unique fonts can be used to highlight important information or guide users through complex tasks
- Error messages in apps are often presented in slightly less readable fonts or bold text to draw attention
- Apps like Slack use distinct typography for notifications and error alerts
- This UI/UX design choice ensures that users notice critical information promptly
This strategy enhances user awareness and retention. Some designers have even created typefaces specifically to improve memory retention:
- Sans Forgetica is a font developed by researchers at RMIT University
- This font incorporates unique design elements that make it harder to read
- The goal is to make the text easier to memorize
- Studies have shown that using Sans Forgetica can improve memorization by 20%
While harder-to-read fonts can enhance retention, it is essential to strike a balance:
- Fonts should not be so difficult that they become a distraction or hinder comprehension
- Ensure that body text is at least 16pt to maintain legibility
- Allow for ample whitespace around text blocks
- Keep lines of text between 50-75 characters wide for optimal readability
- Aim for 140-180% line height (also known as leading) to create breathing room between lines
- Maintain a high contrast ratio between text and background colors
Lastly, double-check if your harder-to-read fonts scales and performs well on smaller mobile screens. Ensure that text remains legible and tap targets are large enough for fingers.
Influence on Brand Perception
Surprisingly, even our perception of taste can be influenced by typography:
- A study published in Food Quality and Preference found that the curvilinearity of a typeface used to label food products affected people’s taste expectations and evaluations
- Rounded fonts were associated with sweeter tastes, while angular fonts were linked to more bitter or sour flavors
- This effect is thought to be due to cross-modal correspondences – the brain’s tendency to associate certain sensory attributes (like shape/taste) based on learned associations
In UI/UX design, understanding these associations can help designers create more engaging, persuasive, and brand-appropriate interfaces:
- eFood platforms like Blue Apron or HelloFresh use typography strategically to evoke feelings of warmth and approachability
- Blue Apron employs a friendly, rounded sans-serif font that conveys a sense of comfort
- HelloFresh uses a clean typeface that emphasizes clarity; it is aligned with its mission to provide straightforward meal solutions
Along with the brand, typography should align with the overall user experience:
- A health-focused app should use clean, modern sans-serif fonts to convey freshness
- The app MyFitnessPal uses clean, sans-serif fonts to present complex health data in an approachable way
- On the other hand, a shopping-focused app could benefit from using more decorative, rounded fonts to evoke indulgence
- Shopping-focused apps like ASOS and Etsy use decorative, rounded fonts to evoke indulgence and make users feel invited
Just like the typography used on food packaging can prime our expectations and taste buds before we even try the product, the typography choices you make in your product’s UI/UX design will hugely influence how users perceive it.
Conclusion
To recap, here are all the ways good typography can enhance your product’s UI//UX design:
- It can make all the text in your product more legible and engaging
- It can make your UI more accessible, especially to people with vision-related issues
- Using specific typefaces, fonts, colors, and other typographic elements across your product can help create a consistent, brand-friendly tone
- Typography can make your website or app look and feel truly unique
- Since good typography incentivizes the users to stay engaged for longer durations, it can also increase their chances of responding to your CTAs
In other words, world-class typography should be one of the first things you should look out for when scouting for professional UI/UX services. Great typography can literally help your brand boost its sales and long-term profitability!
