I’m Only 1 Reader
Spend enough time as a publisher and when you read for fun, you can’t help seeing publishing things . . . if they’re great I comment on them. Reinforce good behavior is what I learned in teachers’ school. If they’re not good typography, I try to overlook them and keep reading. If I simply cannot, usually I just move on shaking my head. I go back to my own blog to make sure that I’m not doing the same thing.
YET when I see the same type issues happening from one blog to another, I think folks can’t see how the type looks and feels from this side of the computer. So I’ve started taking notes on what it’s like to be the reader. Of course, I’m only one reader, but I AM one reader. I’m one who will come back or I won’t.
5 Type Turn-Offs
Type turn-offs are typographic issues that get between me and what I’m trying to read. They’re like pot holes in the highway. They get me looking for the exit and a new road. These type turn-offs guarantee I’ll take the exit ramp and won’t come back to read a blog.
- 83 typefaces and type fonts — ooo, oww, ouch! Help me, please. My eyes don’t know where to go or how to focus. Ever notice how templates stay within 1 or 2 type fonts? Designers know that it’s less distracting to keep the number low and simple.
- 72 colors — there aren’t that many that go together and colors are even more noisy than type fonts. End of story. Same reasoning as above.
- vibrating type on dark backgrounds — You might not be aware, but colors can vibrate on dark backgrounds, particularly red on black or dark blue. Please be careful how you combine your colors — motion sickness could occur, if you’re not. Thank you. I mean that. Motion sickness and migraines are related.
- too many text sets that float apart — the big picture really should seem to be three or five major elements that have smaller parts making them up.
- type so wide I need to drive to read across and then need to drive back to find the next line — gas prices are too high for me to read your blog.
These are the first five type turn-offs I found while surfing for less than 10 minutes. It’s sad to see blogs with these problems because the problems are so annoying, yet easily fixed. Type plays such a crucial part in curb appeal and branding. Type issues are “reverse blog promotion.” Type turn-offs can send readers away before we take the time to take in a word of well-crafted, quality content.
I bet you have your own type turn-offs. What type issues ensure that you won’t read a blog?
–ME “Liz” Strauss
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Audience is Your Destination
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