Type tips for the web

• TEXT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FORM OF COMMUNICATION ON THE WEB.

• THE NUMBER ONE CONCERN IS READABILITY.
  • SET TEXT IN UPPER AND LOWER CASE — ALL CAPS IS MUCH HARDER TO READ
  • DON'T USE TINY TYPE — IT'S HARD TO READ ON THE COMPUTER SCREEN
  • MAKE SURE TYPE CONTRASTS WELL WITH THE BACKGROUND
  • DON'T HAVE A LOT OF TEXT ON EVERY PAGE—BREAK IT UP INTO SMALLER BITS
  • DON'T USE A TILED BACKGROUND OR IMAGE BEHIND NORMAL TEXT
  • IF YOU USE A GRAPHIC TO REPLACE TEXT, ALWAYS USE THE ALT TAG TO DESCRIBE THE TEXT

• Use text to help design your page.
  • use different sizes of text
  • use bold and italic to differentiate text
  • change the alignment to left, center or right

North Dakota State University Extension Service