Dear Business Owners,
Just a short time ago, web designers had but a handful of fonts from which to choose for their working designs. Gone are the days that restrict fonts to Ariel, Times, Impact and Veranda, thanks to Google who introduced a directory of fundamental open source web fonts for professional web designers and developers. ‘Open Source’ essentially means that one is able to openly use and share these fonts since they are free of charge!
This revolutionary advancement in web design opens new windows (no pun intended) and doors for the design community to work with over 500 playful fonts to capture every personality style and tone. That being said, being a designer now requires a deeper understanding of typography and how type faces work.
What fonts you work with depend on its purpose. A logo can be unique; but content on your website must and should be legible. Google web fonts provide a full spectrum of versatility. Coupled with client personality, a designer will decide on a font based on 1-5 descriptive words a client uses to describe either themselves or their business.
Fonts are crucial for web presence. A business’s online presence rings loudly in customers’ ears, and a good business plan should incorporate a plan for online presence. Fonts must and should compliment and reflect the story a business is telling, albeit a modest professional one or a quirky, playful and loud presence. Google web fonts has given us the freedom to explore and design typography that was previously exclusive to the print world, and for that the design community is as excited as it is grateful.
As fun as Google web fonts can be, beware of being too flashy. Perhaps think of fonts like an outfit. No one wants to be nominated to be on the show ‘What NOT to Wear’. It is important to stand out from the crowd, but aim to be a trendsetter, and steer clear from fonts that are a fad. Who knew something as simple as a font could be so significantly vital to your online success?!
“A web built with web fonts is a web that is more beautiful, more readable, more accessible and more open.” — The Google Web Fonts Team
Ultimately, our advice to you is: be mindful of this great power Google has given us, for with great versatility comes great responsibility
Love, Silentblast
