Choosing the Right Font to Write Less: Why Accessibility Matters

When it comes to creating content for the web, choosing the right font can make all the difference in ensuring accessibility and readability for your audience. Using an inaccessible font can result in severe legal and financial penalties, such as fines, lawsuits, and enforcement actions.

It's worth noting that dyslexia affects up to 20% of the US population, making it essential to ensure that your website fonts are accessible to this significant section of the population. Moreover, using accessible fonts is not only the right thing to do, but it's also a legal requirement in the US. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 require websites to be accessible to people with disabilities.

When selecting a font for your website, there are several characteristics that can impact its accessibility. Specialty display fonts, such as hand-writing style or custom fonts, decorative fonts with unnecessary adornments, and fonts with overlapping characters or letters can make it difficult for readers to distinguish between different letters and characters.

To avoid these pitfalls, it's essential to choose a font that is simple, unembellished, and clear. The three key factors that determine whether a font is accessible are size, color, and contrast. A font should have sufficient size and contrast with the background to be easily readable.

Not all fonts have been designed with web accessibility in mind. However, using accessible fonts that conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is essential for compliance with key web accessibility laws in the US. The WCAG guidelines provide specific recommendations for font choice, including the use of sans-serif fonts and a minimum font size of 14 pixels.

If you use an inaccessible font on your website, you run the risk of legal action. In addition to potential legal penalties, using an inaccessible font can also damage your brand reputation and commercial success by ignoring the needs of people with disabilities.

In conclusion, choosing the right font is crucial for ensuring accessibility and readability on the web. By avoiding specialty display fonts, decorative fonts, and fonts with overlapping characters or letters, and instead opting for simple, unembellished, and clear fonts, you can ensure that your website is accessible to everyone, regardless of their abilities.

Remember, using accessible fonts is not optional; it's a legal requirement in the US. By prioritizing accessibility, you can safeguard your brand reputation, avoid potential legal penalties, and ensure that everyone has equal access to your content.

Word font to use to write less