Self-Publisher Typography Basics: Designing Readability into Text

Sure, it might seem self-explanatory. In order to get something read, it needs to be readable - and what do we put a bunch of words down for but to be read? It's not always that simple.

Even if you do know the difference between a Serif and a Sans Serif font, can you quickly state off the top of your head what style, size, and weight it should be for a caption? Most of us don't have a clue.

As a self-publisher, knowing the typography basics becomes a really big deal. You don't have a design team working on your wonderful manuscript to make sure it looks just as wonderful in the hands of your reader. And most self-publishers don't have a degree in communication design - many have degrees, even PhD's, in other subjects ... but that won't help you make your writing readable.

So a breakdown of readability and how to design it into your text is right at your fingertips.

Consider Audience Background First

Before you even dive into the basic rules of readability, make sure that you ask yourself a few questions about the people most likely to read your writing. These questions will plug right into the rules and help further guide you:

*How well does your reader read?
*How well does your reader see?
*How much interest will your reader have in the subject before they begin?
*Should your text be seen as modern or traditional?

A reader who is just fanatically interested in your topic will probably force their way through anything you might write, even if it's hard to do. But no one wants to make a reader force themselves; we want them to love our writing for our writing! So ask yourself the above questions and really consider your answers before you go on.

Basic Rules of Readability

As a general rule of thumb, no publication (whatever its type - novel, brochure, flyer, business card, website, etc.) should contain more than two different fonts. This is the cardinal rule, the one that if you decide to break it, you better have a very darn good reason. Why? Having more than 2 fonts distracts the reader, making them lose track of the content. 'Nuff said.