Web Typography

Readable, hierarchically structured, and performant text design for the web.

Scope

Use this skill when: You are selecting fonts, defining font pairings, building typographic scales, setting line heights and line lengths, implementing fluid typography, or auditing existing typography for quality.

Principles

1. Typography Is User Interface

Text is the primary information layer. Typographic design determines whether content is read, scanned, or ignored.

2. Readability Before Aesthetics

A font must first be readable. If the user focuses on the formatting instead of the content, the typography has failed.

3. Create Hierarchy Through Typography

Different sizes, weights, and styles form a clear information hierarchy. The reading flow is typographically directed.

4. Fewer Fonts -- Greater Impact

Maximum 2-3 font families per project. Each additional font increases load time and reduces coherence.

5. Use Emotional Impact Intentionally

Sans-serif grotesque = modern/neutral. Serif = classic/trustworthy. Display font = expressive/unique.

Rules

Font Selection

• DO: Choose fonts matching the brand identity. Corporate: Inter, Geist, DM Sans. Creative: display fonts.
• DO: Verify character set coverage: umlauts, special characters (mandatory for German-language content).
• DO: Use variable fonts when available (one file instead of 6+).
• DO: Prefer self-hosted WOFF2 (GDPR: no Google Fonts CDN).
• DON'T: Use more than 2 font families for body + headings. A third only for accents.
• DON'T: Use Comic Sans, Papyrus, or Impact in professional contexts -- never.

Font Pairing

• DO: Combine with contrast: serif for headlines + sans for body (or vice versa).
• DO: Match similar x-heights between pairs for optical harmony.
• DO: Use proven combinations: Playfair Display + Source Sans Pro, Poppins + Inter.
• DON'T: Combine two similar sans-serifs. Lack of contrast appears indecisive.

Sizes & Scale

• DO: Use a typographic scale: Major Third (1.250) or Perfect Fourth (1.333).
• DO: Body at least 16px (preferably 18px).
• DO: Headlines: mobile min. 24px, desktop min. 32px.
• DO: Use clamp() for fluid responsive sizes: font-size: clamp(1rem, 2.5vw, 2rem).
• DON'T: Use font sizes below 14px for readable content. Minimum 12px for footers.

Line Height & Line Length

• DO: Body line-height: 1.5 to 1.75.
• DO: Headline line-height: 1.1 to 1.3.
• DO: Line length 45-75 characters (optimal: 65). CSS: max-width: 65ch.
• DON'T: Use line-height 1.0 or below for multi-line text.
• DON'T: Let text lines run at full viewport width (readability drops drastically above 80+ characters).

Text Styling

• DO: Use justified text only with hyphenation (hyphens: auto).
• DO: Prefer ragged right (text-align: left) for web content.
• DO: Use text-wrap: balance for headlines.
• DO: Use font-weight: 600-700 for emphasis, not underlines or ALL CAPS.
• DON'T: Use underlines for text emphasis -- on the web, underline always means "link."
• DON'T: Set longer texts in all caps. Only for short labels/buttons (max. 3-4 words).

Performance

• DO: Use WOFF2 format (best compression).
• DO: Use font-display: swap.
• DO: Preload the primary font: <link rel="preload" href="font.woff2" as="font" type="font/woff2" crossorigin>.
• DO: Subset fonts when only Latin characters are needed (60-80% savings).
• DON'T: Load more than 4 font files (including weights).

Patterns

Detailed pattern descriptions: see references/patterns.md

Typographic Hierarchy (Standard Setup)

H1: 40-56px Bold, H2: 32-40px SemiBold, H3: 24-28px SemiBold, Body: 16-18px Regular, Small: 14px, Eyebrow: 12-14px SemiBold Uppercase.

Fluid Typography

clamp() on all text levels. No media query breakpoints needed for font sizes.

Editorial Typography

Serif font for body (18-20px). Narrower line length (max 60ch). Drop caps. Pull quotes with display font.

Anti-Patterns

Wall of Text

Long running text without structure. Solution: Add a subheading every 2-3 paragraphs. Use lists and quotes as rhythm elements.

Font Overload

More than 3 families, inconsistent weights, arbitrary sizes. Solution: 2 families, a defined scale, documented rules.

Too-Small Font

Body below 16px, especially on mobile. Solution: Body min. 16px, on mobile preferably 18px. Test on real devices.

Insufficient Contrast

Light gray text on a white background. Solution: Min. 4.5:1 for body text (WCAG AA). For large headlines (>= 24px): min. 3:1.

Checklist

• Max. 2-3 font families?
• Typographic scale defined and consistently applied?
• Body at least 16px?
• Line height body 1.5-1.75, headlines 1.1-1.3?
• Line length 45-75 characters (ideal 65ch)?
• Fonts as WOFF2 with font-display: swap?
• Max. 4 font files loaded?
• Body text contrast at least 4.5:1?
• No underlines used for text emphasis?
• No justified text without hyphenation?
• clamp() for responsive sizes?
• Space before headlines larger than space after headlines?
• Umlauts and special characters available in the font?
• Fonts self-hosted (GDPR)?

Cross-References

• ui-design -- Typography as a core element of visual hierarchy
• color-theory -- Text color and contrast ratios
• accessibility -- WCAG contrast requirements for text
• responsive-design -- Fluid typography across breakpoints
• branding-identity -- Font as a brand element
• visual-direction -- Current typographic trends