Writing for Readers (#1)
Take a look at just about any newspaper. More than likely, the body copy is set in 10-pt Times Roman.
This isn’t a coincidence. The selection of that font is quite intentional.
Now, compare law firm Web sites. Compare a page at Thelen Reid’s site to a page at Sedgwick’s site to a page at Pillsbury Winthrop’s site.
Not much in the way of consistency, is there? The selection of fonts at most law firm Web sites seems more random than anything else.
For some reason, the body copy at very many law firm Web sites is set in a font that’s far too small for the average reader to read. (Note that the copy at Thelen Reid’s site is much easier to read than the copy at the other two sites. Apparently, whoever designed Thelen Ried’s site gave some thought to readability.)
Those responsible for the design of law firm Web sites would do well to consider the advice of those who know much about such things. They would do well to consider what Jakob Nielsen, whom the New Yawk Times called “the guru of Web page usability,” has to say about such things.
