Do you know what conjures a connection between 1300 BC China, 3400 BC Iraq, 600 BC Mesoamerica, and 3200 BC Egypt?

Writing.

That’s right. Thousands of decades ago, humans began expressing their feelings by writing or drawing pictorial signs. We mean, they didn’t have something as creative as a neon font back then. But, it worked out pretty well in conveying their message.

From keeping a mere matter of records, these alphabets grew into something more essential and crucial in our lives. For example, when monarchs sent letters, they usually used an ornate style of writing, representing their wealth and power.

Conversely, most of us tend to use a relatively straightforward and clear style to write street signs and public messages. The goal here is to make everything much more understandable for the typical crowd. And finally, in the earliest days of technology, people used minimalistic fonts to keep their website or software lightweight and SEO-friendly

Do you see the pattern?

Typography can be used in various styles and manners to send the message to the preferred audience directly. Besides, the usage of typefaces, such as a neon font, must be meaningful as well. Otherwise, the message won’t make the same impact you want it to.

But, what is typography?

Why is it so crucial in the facet of UX design?

We have explored each of these points elaborately in this article. So, if you are interested in learning something new, don’t forget to keep scrolling.

Defining Typography - A Breakdown Of The Basics

Typography, in essence, is the art of organizing a type by following an ideal combination of size, shape, and spacing. The primary purpose of the same is accessibility, understandability, and offering a sense of hierarchy. While working, a UI designer’s primary focus should be -

•  To make the text readable from every front. The reader should be able to distinguish one alphabet from another. Besides, the spacing between words, letters, and sentences must be consistent as well.
•  The text must be readable and understandable for someone with vision loss, blindness, and other reading disorders.
•  Finally, hierarchy is all about helping a user differentiate information about its overall importance.

You can check the official page of Apple to understand the whole situation better. If we take the webpage iPhone 13 as an example, you’ll see the name of the product is written at the top in bold, dark-gray color. It makes clear to every reader that they’re reading about a phone.

Now, right under the name, you’ll find the catchphrase written in a less bold yet prominent font. It shares a little bit of information about the phone. However, as it’s not as important as the name of the device, it’s written in a smaller and less-eminent font.

Finally, you can find two CTAs, “learn more” and “buy,” after the catchphrase. You’ll find an arrow beside them, which suggests that clicking on them will take you to another page. But, again, as they’re not as important as the other two texts, their font will be even smaller.

Typography And UX Design - Is It Important?

In today’s world of digitization, a vast majority of information available online is provided in the form of text. Therefore, when it comes to UX design, the importance of typography, alongside images, can’t be undermined at any front. Please keep reading to learn more about it.

Benefit - 1: Clear Communication

Whether your audience is reading intently or skimming through the page casually, using the right form of typography can make their job easier. For example, it can allow them to -

• Identify repetitive terms, such as links or CTAs, quickly.
• Grasp whatever information is provided on the page instantly.
• Improve navigability by letting the readers go through the entire content quickly and then diving into whatever they want to read intently.

Benefit - 2: Adding The Aura Of Attraction And Aesthetics

Given the number of websites available out there, most users are spoilt for choice. Hence, it’s better if you did something like using unique typography to convey your information.

This, in turn, can make it easier for you to grab your reader’s attention and make them choose you. With the proper usage of typography, you can -

• Use different font sizes or colors to make the whole presentation look more engaging.
• Evoke a connection by using a classic font like the ones Coca-Cola or Disney use.
• Opt for a handwritten font to set the mood even more exuberantly.

Benefit - 3: Building The Core Of Your Brand

You probably have seen most popular brands tend to use a specific font and stick to them till the end. But why do they do that? Well, it’s all about branding.

Your audience can remember you by seeing your logo, the typography you use, or something else. So, it’s your job to find something prominent and memorable for them.

You can take the Irvin font of the New Yorker as an example. It’s instantly recognizable due to the large “O” and a little slanted “S.”

Benefit - 4: For Easier Reading

Whether you believe it or not, people tend to read a lot less these days. If we’re talking about ourselves, we tend to focus more on the headings and subheadings than anything else.

Hence, if you want to prompt such an “impatient” audience to go through your whole article, you’ll need to give them something worthwhile.

And, for that, only offering relevant information won’t be enough for you. Apart from that, you have to use the proper typography and legible font as well.

Coming To A Conclusion!

Often, most visual designers tend to consider typography as just another afterthought.

Hence, instead of focusing on this one, they spend most of their time on illustrations, icons, colors, and graphic interfaces. While they’re important, we’ll also ask you not to forget about the importance of typography we’ve shared in this article.

We mean, they have the power to make or break your branding. Therefore, if you don’t keep an eye on them from the beginning, it’ll be impossible for you to build your brand - whether you’re using software or a website.