Portfolio Checklist | Portfolio Rubric
Although the Web provides a wide set of design choices, it is important that the final page design be easy to read. Below are some guidelines for increasing legibility.
Font Size
Your fonts should be about 12 points for body text and no smaller than 9 points for small text. Smaller font sizes are difficult to read.
Font Face
- Sans-serif fonts like Verdana, Arial and Helvetica are generally recommended over Times New Roman and Garamond because they are generally easier to read on computer screens.
- If you use colored text, you may want to make it bold face to increase legibility.
- You have the most formatting freedom with headlines and titles. This is the place to experiment with fonts and colors.
- Avoid italic styles since the slant makes them less legible on a screen. Bold face can be used in the place of italics.
Color Contrast
Whichever color scheme you use, you should ensure that there is sufficient contrast between the text and background.
Specifically you want to avoid
- Black text on darker colors,
- Combining pale text with light backgrounds,
- Bright colors next to each other.
Links to Other Sites
- Web AIM: Accessible Fonts
- Color Wheel Pro Color Theory – you don’t need to buy the software
