If you have just come from reading our feature ‘How Brands Can Create Inclusive Visual Content for All Abilities’, you will understand the importance of being mindful of visual disabilities. By taking steps to make your visual content more accessible, you can create a more inclusive connection and welcoming experience with your audience that goes beyond visual communication.
Making your content easy to read can be as simple as choosing the right font. There are certain fonts that are more readable for people with visual disabilities.
Here are some guidelines for choosing fonts for different types of text:
Headline fonts to help people with visual disabilities
✅ Sans-serif fonts such as Arial, Helvetica, and Verdana are best for headlines because they are clean and easy to read.
❌ Avoid decorative or script fonts, as they can be difficult to read.
Body copy fonts to help people with visual disabilities
✅ Serif fonts such as Times New Roman, Georgia, and Garamond are best for body copy because they are more readable than sans-serif fonts for longer blocks of text.
✅ Use a font size of at least 12 points, or larger if possible, to make the text easier to read.
✅ Use high contrast between the text and background to make it easier to distinguish the letters.
Fonts to avoid
❌ Avoid using fonts that are too small or too thin, as they can be difficult to read.
❌ Avoid using all caps or italics, as they can be harder to read for people with dyslexia.
❌ Avoid using decorative or script fonts for body copy, as they can be difficult to read for people with visual disabilities.
Conclusion
To make your visual content more accessible it’s important to consider the readability of fonts, and the contrast between text and background. By incorporating this you will ensure that your visual content is inclusive for up to an extra 2 million people.
