Larger typefaces, big future
CreativeBoost is an exclusive newsletter for clients and friends of [1]thinkit creative. You’re receiving this because you subscribed on our website. Is this email not displaying correctly? [2]View it in your browser. [3]thinkit creative Facebook [4]Follow me on twitter [5]Forward this to a friend Photo of Patrick Gant Links: 1. http://thinkitcreative.com 2. |ARCHIVE| 3. http://thinkitcreative.com 4. |TWITTER:PROFILEURL [$format=text]| 5. |FORWARD|
Issue 0612
Take chances
When planning and designing for the future, draw lessons from the past to help guide you.
But don’t be held prisoner to conventions.
There are plenty of things that are done the same way as always simply because experimenting is scary, so it feels safer to stick with the tried-and-true.
Take chances.
The future depends on it.
[6]cloud icon Links: 6. http://thinkitcreative.com
Recent posts
[7]Declining online traffic? Stop blaming SEO Amid much anxiety in some circles about SEO and declining online traffic, there’s been plenty of talk about important changes Google has been making to how it ranks websites. The real problem with declining traffic lies elsewhere. [8] What John Coltrane can teach you about building your audience The work of John Coltrane illustrates an important point about the power of audience building: one that is especially relevant if you are a small business seeking to elevate your marketing platform. Links: 7. http://thinkitcreative.com/blog/declining-online-traffic-stop-blaming-seo 8. http://thinkitcreative.com/blog/john-coltrane-teach-building-audience
Get more stories about the [9]power of writing that sells. Visit thinkitcreative.com today. Links: 9. http://thinkitcreative.com
What our clients say…
“Through his company, thinkit creative, Patrick Gant goes beyond just providing great writing on direct mail and webcopy projects for not-for-profit organizations. He shows a sincere interest in helping organizations like the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada be truly successful. And he does that by going the extra mile on every project, showing you how you can implement methods and techniques that grab an audience’s attention and turn readers in donors.” —Judy Kerr, Learning Disabilities Association of Canada
Read more about [10]what our clients have to say. Links: 10. http://thinkitcreative.com/about/testimonials
Why larger typefaces have a big future in online copy
I’ve had a few people ask me about the recent overhaul that I’ve completed on thinkit creative’s [11]website. Links: 11. http://thinkitcreative.com
In particular, they want to know what’s behind about the choices I’ve made on the typeface.
Not only did I switch the type from sans serif to a more classic-looking [12]serif, I also opted for a significant jump in size of the text: double what I was using five years ago. Links: 12. http://www.google.com/webfonts/specimen/Lora
My clients know that I am a tireless advocate of delivering the best reading experience to audiences and that I back my recommendations with field-tested data.
Naturally they want to know what research I’ve been using the guide this change.
And that’s where things get interesting.
I’d like to say that there are studies proving convincingly that information retention is better or that reader preference grows when audiences are presented with a serif text. But research in the past few years has done a fairly good job of [13]poking holes in [14]those argument[15]s, pointing to flawed methodology and concluding there may be no difference at all between those two choices—at least as far as traditional publishing is concerned. Links: 13. http://alexpoole.info/which-are-more-legible-serif-or-sans-serif-typefaces 14. http://alexpoole.info/which-are-more-legible-serif-or-sans-serif-typefaces 15. http://alexpoole.info/which-are-more-legible-serif-or-sans-serif-typefaces
I’m opting for serif type because I like how it looks and how it makes me feel when I read it in long copy. I write more when I’m happy. If nothing measurable can make the case for it, at least I know my own biases to be true. As for size of type, the traditional arguments against larger typefaces are mostly economic: bigger letters use more paper and make for heavier books.
With online media, do away with that argument and you’re left with one question: what’s best for readers?
Do the conventions of paper-based media apply to web-based content? I really don’t think so. Humans have been printing books for over 500 years. But we’ve been filling this online medium with content for less than a generation. We build by learning from the past, and our biases are definitely shaped by it too, but we’re not bound by it.
Instead, this is a case where quite frankly I’m trusting my instincts. Research and A/B testing is important, make no mistake. But data-based design has limitations, too.
It won’t tell you where the market is heading or how tastes are changing…or why. Sometimes you have to look at that connection of dots—the insight you obtain from data—and rely on your professionally honed instincts to know what to do next.
As I see things, there are three big changes that are happening online. Each one has important implications for the way text is presented to readers:
Readers are getting older Common, age-related vision changes happen to almost everyone starting around age 40, so it’s wise to choose a large typeface for all online text. The Canadian National Institute for the Blind recommends that readers with low vision require at least a 16- to 18-point type for maximum readability comfort. On top of that, accommodating such a larger number of older readers is a relatively new problem for humanity. New thinking is needed.
More traffic is mobile The UN’s International Telecommunication Union predicts that within two years, mobile devices (i.e., smartphones and tablets) will overtake PCs as the most popular way to access online content. If the tools people use are changing, then so too should online content. Mobile-friendly content gets read more often when it’s easy to read. Larger text requires less zooming or other gestures on the part of the reader. To my mind, that is good thing.
Information overload means faster decisions on whether to bail or stay Let’s face it: the web is overflowing with lousy content. More readers today are learning to make snap decisions about whether the content on your site is worth reading. My hunch is that those kinds of decision are motivated more emotional cues (how does reading this make me feel) and the quickest way to connect emotionally is by being clear and understandable with the least amount of effort. As author Malcolm Gladwell points out: “The key to good decision making is not knowledge. It is understanding. We are swimming in the former. We are desperately lacking in the latter.”
How about you? Do you see room for improvement in your own online content (websites, ebooks, enewsletters) where readers could benefit from greater readability and at-a-glance understandability? [16] Let’s talk about it. [17]follow on Twitter | [18]forward to a friend |IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE| |LIST:DESCRIPTION| Our mailing address is: |LIST_ADDRESS||END:IF| |IF:REWARDS| |REWARDS_TEXT| |END:IF| [19]unsubscribe from this list | [20]update subscription preferences Links: 16. mailto:pgant@thinkitcreative.com?subject=Re%3A%20Larger%20typefaces%20(newsletter) 17. |TWITTER:PROFILEURL [$format=text]| 18. |FORWARD| 19. |UNSUB| 20. |UPDATE_PROFILE|