There is no doubt that typography is important in any design, especially in communicating messages. However, any error in typography can harm your design’s effectiveness. Therefore, we’ll explore the 10 common typography mistakes and show you how to avoid them for better results.
Key Takeaways
These typography errors seem trivial but are often overlooked. Therefore, you need to pay attention and avoid making these mistakes.
One of the top typography mistakes is using too many fonts in a single design. Mixing too many typefaces will ruin your design, making it look cluttered and unprofessional.
You should use a maximum of two or three complementary fonts. Choose one font for headers and a different one for body text. You can incorporate additional fonts for special elements, like call-to-action buttons.
Also Read: Hierarchy of Typography: How to Make Fonts Speak
It’s fine to enhance the visual appeal of your design, but it shouldn’t compromise legibility. An overly flashy or decorated design can distract the audience from the message you intend to convey.
When selecting fonts for delivering messages or long text, always prioritize legibility. Serif and sans-serif fonts are ideal choices due to their readability. Other font styles, such as script or display fonts, can be used sparingly for attention-grabbing elements, commonly in headings.
Among the 10 common typography mistakes, failing to establish a clear hierarchy can make it harder for readers to navigate your content. Without proper emphasis on headings, subheadings, and body text, your message may become difficult to follow and lose its impact.
Experiment with size, weight, and style to create a clear hierarchy. Headings should be larger and bolder, while body text should be smaller but still readable. Arrange them based on their importance, from most to least significant.
Regarding the previous point, contrast is essential to ensure readability and highlight certain elements to attract user attention. Without it, the reading experience becomes difficult. Moreover, readers can’t grasp the intended messages efficiently.
To address this issue, it’s important to master typography contrast. One helpful approach is to refer to Carl Dair’s seven principles of contrast, which include size, weight, structure, texture, form, color, and direction.
Also Read: 10 Best Books to Learn Typography and Elevate Your Design Skills
Kerning and tracking are the spacing techniques for text. They are important to ensure a seamless reading experience. Moreover, poor kerning or tracking often causes funny typography mistakes, where text is spaced awkwardly and unintentionally changes its meaning.
Always check the spacing between letters and words manually. For optimal readability and spacing, it’s important to understand the relationships between specific characters, like “A” and “V” or double “I.”
Leading, or line spacing, is another crucial spacing technique. It ensures that the lines within a paragraph aren’t too tight or too spaced out. If the lines are too close together, the text becomes difficult to read, while excessive spacing can disrupt the flow and readability.
Adjust line spacing based on the font size. For optimal readability, set the leading to 1.2 to 1.5 times the font size.
This is one of the 10 common typography mistakes that is often overlooked. Improper line length can greatly impact readability, making it difficult for readers to follow and understand the content.
To avoid this issue, make sure to set an appropriate line length. The ideal line length is between 50 and 75 characters per line.
Also Read: Impact of Typography in Advertising: 5 Secrets to Eye-Catching Ads
Alignment can help our brain to scan content effectively, enhancing readability. However, you should use alignment consistently. If not, your design will look messy and unorganized.
Stick to a consistent alignment throughout your design. Left alignment is the most readable for long text, while center alignment works best for short headlines.
One of the most overlooked 10 common typography mistakes is failing to manage orphans, widows, and rags.
Line length is the key to overcoming these issues. Adjust the line length of the paragraph to balance the layout.
Poor text formatting can make content appear unprofessional and hard to read. This includes improper emphasis and careless mistakes such as typos, incorrect capitalization, and missing characters.
Always double-check your work for typos and formatting errors before publishing. Using a grammar checker tool can help enhance readability.
Also Read: Discover the Integrity of 6 Font Classifications in Typography
Typography is about crafting a visually appealing and readable design. By avoiding these 10 common typography mistakes, you can significantly improve the clarity, professionalism, and effectiveness of your text.
Great typography begins with the right font. A poor choice can make your text look unprofessional, no matter how good your design is. That’s why utilizing professional fonts to elevate your typography is important. Lucky you, Lettersiro has you covered.
Our top-notch fonts are available exclusively here, all at affordable prices. Want to experiment? Try free fonts to find the perfect match before you buy. Explore our website and find your ideal font in Lettersiro!
