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General
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- Be aware that age makes a difference. Younger readers need larger print because it is difficult for them to distinguish the characters and comprehend words. As a guideline:
| Grade |
Font Size/Style |
| Kindergarten-First Grade |
24 pt. bold |
| Second Grade |
24 pt. plain |
| Third-Fourth Grade |
18 pt. plain |
| Fifth Grade |
14 pt. plain |
- Know that readers over 40 usually have eye sight problems, a minimum of 14 point type will help them read.
- Make sure that there is good visual separation between the words and the background. Avoid light or bright colors. Avoid complicated backgrounds.
- Ensure that great design and great content make a great product.
- Know your audience. This sounds so simple, but often we don't know what our audience wants or how they best receive the message.
- Be aware that reading skills influence design. It is especially important that the page layout is not intimidating for people who don't read well (or who don't like to read).
- Provide visual breaks and rest spots. Plenty of white space helps as do narrower columns (39 to 52 character -- 8 to 12 words) and pullout quotes that paraphrase or summarize the content. Use color to categorize content. Most important: treat similar information similarly.
- Remember that you are not designing for yourself, you are designing to communicate to others. Take the audiences needs, skills, and abilities, into account when developing your design.
- Consider the cultural differences of your audience. Western cultures read from the upper left across to the right and then down. Asian cultures read from the upper right down and then across. The habits and orientations of the culture are difficult to override.
[ Rules-of-Thumb | On-line Resources | Samples | Glossary ]
Written by Doug Kipperman and Deb Linder. Last updated May 3, 1997
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