Posted: Wed 3 June 2009

Web-safe Fonts in Web Design: Still Relevant in 2009?

Web-safe fonts, web designers know them and love them. Web-safe fonts are those that are likely to be present on the major Operating Systems used by web surfers. Most developers stick to using core fonts such as Verdana, Georgia and Courier New to ensure a consistent user experience across platforms.

Traditionally there weren’t many fonts shared by major operating systems like Windows and Mac OS, so most websites use very similar fonts.

However, is this still the case in 2009? Operating system font sets have burgeoned in recent years, with ubiquitous software like Microsoft Office expanding the range even further. Common installs like this extend the range of ‘nearly-web-safe’ fonts massively.

This gives web designers the option of presenting the majority of users a widely-installed custom font such as Calibri. Those who don’t have Calibri could instead be presented with a suitable sans-serif alternative using CSS font substitutions.

This is similar to Eazytiger designer John’s concept of providing a great cake for users with older browsers, and an amazing one with sprinkles and icing for users with the latest software.

For designers, web-safe fonts are like the carpenter’s favourite chisel; sturdy, reliable, and simple to use. So as with designing for cross-browser compatibility, I think it will take some courageous web design to break away from web-safe fonts. However, those that do break from tradition and myth will reward their clients with exciting, yet compatible sites.

This said, the browsers may already hold the keys to web font nirvana…

Browsers such as Safari allow fonts to be embedded using CSS3, with others like Firefox soon to follow suit. As always, John is one step ahead of the game with this, and is experimenting with an Internet Explorer work around. The rest of us can find the latest developments in font embedding browser compatibility here.

By: David Lambie
http://www.eazytiger.net
Web design and ecommerce Leicester

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