From user interfaces to advertisements – type is all about communication. Typefaces evoke emotions and establish hierarchy. Typefaces entice audiences, make products more impressive, and engage readers.
They are not just important in hard copy or web, but on mobile devices as well. They can bring emotion and drama to theme-based applications and games. Type can harmonize multimedia effects as it takes the smart phone experience to the next level.
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Getting the right typography
The best font for any mobile device, for any application, should have these attributes:
Open counters
- Adequate lowercase x height
- Reasonable contrast in stroke thickness
- Distinguishing character shapes
- Marked difference between bold and medium weights of the same type family
- Recognizable design qualities
Open counters
White space between letters like ‘e’, ’c’, ’o’, etc. helps in defining a character. It has a powerful sway on the ease of identification. Typefaces that have open large counters are easier to read- especially in hard copy. This is true for small digital screens of smart phones as well.
Adequate lowercase x height
In typography, the x height means the distance between top of the main body of the lower case letters and the baseline of the type (not counting the ascenders and descenders). X height is an important factor in readability and identification of typeface. It is important for legibility- especially when the pixels and screen size are limited. It’s recommended for lowercase x height to be between 60% and 80% of the cap height.
Reasonable contrast in stroke thickness
Typefaces that have strong contrast in stroke thickness do not work best on smart phones. There are fewer pixels on mobile screens than on computer screens and thus the contrast is not reproduced effectively.
Distinguishing character shapes
The shapes of individual letters also influence the legibility of the typeface. For instance, double storied ‘a’ is more legible than a single-storied design. The lowercase ‘g’ that is based on roman letters is more understandable than simple, gothic ‘g’.
Marked difference between bold and medium weights of the same type family
Typefaces that can be easily distinguished from others are good to use on smart phones. They help in making a hierarchy. They also establish a brand image and enhance themes, games and other multimedia applications. Typeface families that have marked differences between proportions and weights help with communication.
Recognizable design qualities
Fonts that are used exclusively for certain user interfaces or operating systems should have remarkably legible numbers, and they must be present in many proportions and weights. They are supposed to be distinctive, and they must be capable of creating a brand identity, but they shouldn’t be too idiosyncratic, else their use would be limited.
Not all theme-based or decorative typeface designs would be effective on smart phones. While there are many trade-offs when talking about small-sized communication, establishing a different look and feel is important, but basic needs of smart phone functionality are still relevant.
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With so much variation in screen size / resolution on mobile devices, choosing a readable font (especially when scaled down) is definitely an important choice.