It’s up to you to wow them from the get-go using your website’s design. One of the best ways to communicate your message is through great typography.

The Absolute Basics of Typography

To put it simply, typography is the art of placing type on a page. This art includes arranging text to be both readable and attractive while enhancing the entire style of a design.

To make typography easier to grasp, here are some basic terms you should know:

• Font: Perhaps the most common term, a font is the design of the letters within a typeface. For example, Calibri, Comic Sans or Papyrus.
• Typeface: A typeface is a collection of these fonts in the same family. For example, Arial Black and Arial Narrow are both Arial fonts in the same typeface.
• Size: The fonts within each typeface will have certain size differences such as width. The size of a font will directly impact how it looks on a page.
• Hierarchy: Font choice can help you create hierarchy on a page, which directs the eye toward the most important information. For example, headers set apart with bigger and or separate font styles can catch the eye and keep visitors scrolling through your copy.

Why Is Typography Important for Your Website?

Why do all of these random definitions matter? The words you place on your website can make the difference between a new customer and another visitor added to your bounce rate. Although it’s a strong claim, the way the words look on your website really do hold that power.

Distracting Websites Are Useless Websites

Using many different fonts and font colors on your website will distract your visitor. Additionally, they make it incredibly difficult for your visitor to gather information, which is why they came there in the first place.

The Fix

Choose a simple typography scheme for your website that includes two to three fonts. For example, you might choose one main font for headers and two supporting fonts to use for body copy and for emphasizing text on the page.

This is also a great opportunity to play with a font’s typeface to see which one works best for your website’s design.

Content That’s Hard to Read Turns Visitors Away

Readability matters. Fonts that are too small or blocks of text that cover the entire page are difficult to read, which turns visitors away fast.

The Fix

Remember hierarchy? This is where it comes into play. Use your headings and subheadings to break up the text on your page. Plus, make sure you’re using the absolute minimum font size of 16 for your body copy.

Typography Communicates Your Brand

The entire design of your website communicates who you are to your readers; typography is a huge part of that design. When a visitor lands on your website only to find fonts and type that don’t fit, they become confused about who you are.

The Fix

Use fonts that fit your brand’s message. For example, a creative business might use script fonts or more decorative styles. Yet, an attorney might want to stick with a professional font such as those found in the serif family. If you do use a decorative font, remember to do so sparingly.

What Message Do You Want to Communicate On Your Website?

Typography and the other style elements on your website communicate your brand and your overall message to your audience. Is your design saying what you want it to say? If not, send us a message.

The post Typography: What It Is & Why It’s Important for Your Website appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.

We’re in the last quarter of 2015, and it’s time to start thinking about the upcoming year. So much has changed in terms of web technology. Have you heard of “Mobilegeddon?” Besides technology, design standards are rapidly changing. People’s opinion of what looks good is evolving. So what’s changing in website trends for 2016? Let’s take a look:

Flat Design

Continuing on a trend that was started in 2014, we’ll see some evolving trends with Flat design. Flat design focuses on the simplicity of a user’s experience. You may have seen some websites with elements that “pop” – giving the websites a three-dimensional look. Flat design is the opposite of that, with a focus on minimalism. Now that business owners have had a chance to experiment with all the interesting features and design elements made possible through modern technologies and coding, people have become somewhat disillusioned with flash. At the end of the day, it’s important to make it easy for your customers to find the information they need, and over-designing can get in the way of that.

Typography: Designing with Text

Nobody is going to take your website serious with a font like Comic Sans or Papyrus… unless your website is aimed at a VERY specific audience. Websites like Comic Sans Criminal and Papyrus Watch may help you to see why many people simply despise it. Sans-serif typefaces are fonts without small projecting features at the end of each stroke that bulk them up. As a rule, sans-serif typefaces are the easiest to read for long instances of text. Popular fonts you can find on your computer that fit this description include Arial and Helvetica. For testing out different possibilities, take a look at Google’s Web Fonts tool, which allows you to type words or sentences to see how they look in Google’s library of free web-safe fonts. Open Sans is a popular choice for many website projects.

Professional Content Development

In the past, website owners would take advantage of “keyword stuffing” to rank high on search engines. Now search engines frown on this, and more website owners are looking to professional content writers. Iceberg Web Design offers a keyword research service to get you on the right track. In other instances, Iceberg Web Design connects with professional content writers who write full SEO copy for your website.

The Decline of the Slideshow

That ever-popular, high-demand home page slideshow. Everybody wants it, nobody actually likes it. It’s distracting, doesn’t usually scale down well for smartphones, and never includes any useful information. Up and coming website trends for 2016 will not include the slideshow. Instead, businesses will redistribute their information on their websites in a format that makes more sense than the slideshow.

Is your website ready for the New Year ahead? Get in touch with Iceberg Web Design for a second opinion and to talk about possible website redesigns including the up and coming website trends for 2016!

The post Up and Coming Website Trends for 2016 appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.