Fonts
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Summary
Accessible fonts are typefaces and font settings that make digital content easier to read for everyone, including people with visual or cognitive disabilities.
Impact
The choice of font can greatly affect how easily users can read and understand your content. Clear, accessible fonts help people with low vision, reading disabilities, or those using assistive technology engage with your website or app. If the text is hard to read—due to decorative fonts, poor contrast, or fixed font sizes—users may struggle to access important information or may avoid the content altogether.
Dos and Don’ts
Do
- Incorporate Sans-Serif Fonts: Simple fonts like Arial, Verdana, Open Sans, Lato, or Source Sans 3 are preferred for digital content.
- Use a font size of at least 11pt or 12pt for readability. Avoid going below 8pt, as smaller text can be difficult to read and may not be accessible.
- Use Proper Line Spacing: Set line height to at least 1.5x the font size for readability.
Don’t
- Avoid Decorative or Script Fonts: Don’t use fonts that are ornate or hard to read for body text. It can also be difficult to read large sized font.
- Don’t Use All Caps for Long Text: ALL CAPS can be hard to read and decrease comprehension.
- Don’t Rely on Color Alone: Use more than just color (like bold text or custom icons) to convey meaning.
- Don’t Underline for emphasis or decoration. Underlining should be reserved for hyperlinks only for consistency and clarity in your materials.
How-To
The fonts below illustrate an example of a decorative font that is difficult to read and inaccessible, alongside a font that is accessible and easy to read.
ban Difficult to read and inaccessible
This font is not appropriate.
circle-check Accessible and easy to read
This font is appropriate.
The Accessible Text-Based Material (PDF) provides information on selecting typography and fonts for your content.
