Contrast and text colourįor the University it is usually best to use dark ink against a pale background as this is best for users with specific learning differences such as dyslexia, although some users with visual impairments may find a light font on a dark background easier. Wherever possible use bold to emphasise items or create headings as this is the most accessible type of formatting. 'Word Art' is not compatible with some screen readers.Īvoid the use of Italics and underlining wherever possible.Ĭontinuous text should not be in capitals, although a couple of words in capitals is acceptable. The more ornate the font, the fewer the number of individuals who will be able to read it. It is best to avoid the use of non sans-serif fonts, such as Times New Roman. However, it should be easy to provide the document in an alternative font size upon request. Remember that no one font size will suit everyone. It is best practice to type word documents in font size 14, and no smaller than font size 12, to assist readers with visual impairments. Use the styles and formatting toolbar in Word when structuring your document as this will make it easier for disabled users to adapt the document to meet their needs and to navigate around the document if using a screen reader. If you’re looking to purchase signage, we have a huge range of custom printed indoor and outdoor signage as well as an in-house sign design service that will ensure your font stands out from the crowd.How to create a document tagline Styles and headings Hopefully this will give you some inspiration when designing your next printed sign. Our Top 10 Sign Fontsīelow are our top ten choices for fonts that will look great on the vast majority of signage and banners. You can read more about effective sign colours in the sign guide linked above. White on black and black on white offer the best contrast, followed closely by yellow on black. Colour CombinationsĬontrasting colours make more of an impact, but you need to be careful the colours of the fonts don’t clash with the background or surrounding features of the sign. You can download our signs guide for further information on this topic. As a rough guide, you can view letters in an easy to read font such as Helvetica in upper and lower case on a contrasting banner at 30 times the height of a letter, so for example a 4 inch letter could be seen at 116 feet. In terms of sign legibility, the character height has a big influence on how far a sign can be read. Examine how the use of word placement, blocks of copy and text effects such as bolding and italicising have on the impact of your sign. The weight, size, spacing and layout of your wording all combine to effect the readability of your sign. If you do use a mixture of fonts, it is advisable to use similar styles to keep the overall feel of the sign consistent. Serif fonts might be used on an exhibition poster where there is quite a lot of copy.įor signs it is best to stick to one or two different font styles, otherwise it can look cluttered and unprofessional. Sans-serif fonts are easier to read when there just a few words, so are great for making statements. When it comes to signs and banners you will notice that signs without serifs or sans-serif are much more common. Most newspapers, books and newsletters and publications where there is a lot of text use a serif font such as times new roman. Research has shown that all uppercase or capitalisation should be used for single words, whereas lowercase should be used for longer messages. Starting a word in a lower case and having the rest of the letters in uppercase rarely looks good, neither does a mixture of casing. Other things to consider are the surrounding area of the sign, the background colour and the placement of the sign e.g inside or outside. Lots of copy on an exhibition graphic may look great in a simple Arial or Times New Roman, but may have less impact used on a huge sale banner outside a retail outlet. Deciding on the type to use is influenced by the designated usage that your sign or banner may have. Legibility of a sign or banner is determined by the font or typeface used and how easy it is to distinguish one letter from another. Factors When Choosing Your Sign Font Usage of Sign With the help of our design and print teams, we’ve put together a list of deciding factors when thinking about your next sign font, along with our top 10 choices at the end of the article. With signage text readability must always come first, it’s all good looking great but if no one can read it the message is lost entirely. While it is tempting to use something fancy to stand out, there is a good reason we see the same or similar fonts used time and time again. With thousands of fonts to choose from, deciding on which font to use for your next printed sign or banner can be a daunting task.
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