An Essential Guide to Font Readability on Social Media Graphics

On social media, you’ve got a fraction of a second to captivate your audience.

Numerous elements come into play in determining whether your post becomes a scroll-stopper, with fonts being a crucial design choice within your content.
 

Have you come across those social media posts that are overloaded with text, leaving no breathing room? Or perhaps you’ve encountered posts with bizarre text colors that make them nearly unreadable. I bet you didn’t give those social media posts a second glance.

Everyone benefits from designs that are easier to see and read. Use this crash course in graphic design to ensure your font choice won’t discourage your audience from viewing your social media posts.

Use an Easy-To-Read Font Style in Your Social Media Post

Yes, there are a ton of incredibly fun fonts to choose from and to stand out, you may want to use some wacky or whimsical font. However, before you choose that aesthetically pleasing cursive font, remember that letters in curly or fancy fonts can look distorted and hard to read. Simplicity is key. Use cleaner sans serif fonts for primary text. Save curly fonts for design accent elements.

Make Your Text Pop With Color Contrast

Before you hit publish, critique your post against a color wheel. Colors located opposite each other on the wheel provide a strong contrast and work well together for social media content. For instance, if your background color is orange, consider using a dark blue font to make your text stand out! Avoid colors that are next to each other in the color wheel. Those pairs have low contrast and will be hard to read.

Keep Your Social Media Post Accessible With Font Size

Social media apps are viewed on tiny screens, and users with great eyes have no problem reading small text. However, many people struggle with small text. Be mindful of the size of your text in graphics. Additionally, don’t overlook the concept of visual hierarchy, which essentially dictates how your audience perceives your graphic. Remember that larger text will be the first to capture attention, so make it count! Make sure key information is discernible at a glance.

Keep Your Copy Minimal on Your Social Media Graphics

Remember back to the last billboard you saw, notice how there are not a lot of words on the billboard. If a 48-foot wide billboard can effectively convey its message with just a sentence or less, your social media graphic (typically 4” x 4”), should follow suit. Keep the copy on a social media graphic to a minimum, and use the caption to expand on your hook.

The Golden Rule of Fonts Is Never to Use More Than Two

The golden rule of font readability is never to use more than two different fonts in one graphic. In most cases, the title or headline text will be a different font than the body of the text. Instead, use bold and CAPITALS to call your audience’s attention to a specific line, use italics and underlining to highlight a specific word, and lastly, use bullet points and numbers to separate text.

Find more tips and tactics for creating great social media content on our blog and save this blog for future reference.

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