Hello,
I seem to recall that there are recommended fonts for lawyers in America. Makes sense if you are submitting a long brief that the fonts used are similar to all the others and that you take care for the proper presentation.
But over here are there any courtesy rules for accountancy....things like never use Times New Roman.
HMRC use arial on their website
The new GOV website changed to just one font from 3...they use a transport or nta?
https://gds.blog.gov.uk/2012/07/05/a-few-notes-on-typography/
So this makes me think that you could actually use the same font as the GOV site or the HMRC site ...and depending upon how your potential customers viewed them either get a positive or negative response.
I suspect that a lot of people probably leave their website fonts to their designers and their correspondence font to the MS Word default.
Any takers for what i think is a much overlooked topic?
Replies (35)
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Ariel
I used to worry about things like this too - then realised life is far too short.
For me Ariel; it's easy to read and looks professional.
PNL beat me to it
I was going to say wingdings, because none of my clients understand what I'm saying anyway.
If they do understand, then it's arial.
Hmm, just reading this thread with interest and it got me wondering.
Times New Roman was the font most commonly used when I started in practice not all that long ago (13 years). I agree, Aerial has now taken it's place and TNR does look rather old fashioned now.
My question, however, is Why? Why did TNR look acceptable over a decade ago but no longer does?
We are not talking about a very long time ago here, yet styles have changed.
Why do we look at things different to how we used to?
As I say, it just got me wondering. :-)
That's life isn't? Otherwise we'd still be wearing togas / powdered wigs / top hats and cravats etc.
A question of taste
We always use Georgia for body text and Tahoma for headings.
Personally, I dislike using sans serif fonts such as Arial for body text, finding it much less comforatble to read. I'd never consider using it or anything of its ilk
I'd quite like ...
... the idea of wearing a toga, may be that is why I like TNR!
I find Arial a bit childish for my taste, if I want a different font I would use Book Antiqua or possibly Calibri, but generally for e-mails as that seems to be my outlook default and I can't be bothered to change it.
Chose simplest to read ...
All 11 point - Historically for web sites verdana was regarded as most readable
TNR
Granted it is a very long time ago, and there are far more fonts available now, but I remember some medical studies which found that TNR 12 was the easiest for our eyes to cope with.
Also white writing on a blue screen was the most restful
I personally think TNR looks best. It's looks formal whereas something like Arial or Tahoma remind me of the fonts we used at school for homework.
I think it's down to personal preference. I've also used C G Omega and when typing a lot of information. It looks smart and compact.
Agreed
I think it's down to personal preference. I've also used C G Omega and when typing a lot of information. It looks smart and compact.
I think Georgia looks the best.
Using fonts for homework!
Arial or Tahoma remind me of the fonts we used at school for homework.
OK now I feel old.
Just looked at the link ...
... the NTA font to me is truly awful, and makes concentrating difficult and reading tiresome - I wonder how much public money has been spent (wasted) on it?
That said, the font on Aweb is pretty diabolic too!
I'm surprised there is no mention of numbers - surely something accountants might be expected to consider important.
The main area for readability is the shape of 6 and 9 and how easily they can be confused with each other and with 8. @Old Greying Accountant comments on the Aweb font which is particularly poor in this regard - 689689. This is because the tail of the nine and the top bit (I'm sure there is a technical term for this) curls too far round. This is exacerbated if reverse italics are used as they are on the security number on the backs of credit and debit cards.
The worst example I've seen is the font used on National Lottery tickets. You would think that the most important information on these would be the numbers, but the font is truly dreadful in this regard. The New Transport font isn't particularly good for numbers either, maybe that's why the Gov website needs to use quite such a large font size.
For those of us of advancing years we may often find that whilst text is readable without specs, numbers aren't, especially in less than ideal lighting conditions.
I just use whatever the software defaults to.
I think this is usually Times New Roman or Arial, but I don't care, and I'm sure hardly anyone reading it cares either. It really is of no significance.
Those less fortunate than you do care about what font you use. This is the point I have been trying to make. Choice of font (and layout too) is of significance to those with visual impairments and also those who have a learning disability. This is not a matter of 'personal preference' as some have thought - it is a matter of making one's service as accessible as possible. Please consider others a tad more than you apparently seem to do currently. One day you may be among those who have a sensory impairment or a disability of some sort. Would you like to have a service provided by someone who writes "I don't care"? Mmmmmmm ... I think not.
Word of warning
If you create a Word document, or PDF, or email, the fonts you use may look great on your PC but when sent electronically, it will only look the same to the recipient if they have the exact same fonts installed.
Same for webpages unless you explicitly define the page to download fonts.
That's why there is typically little variation in the fonts that are used as you want be reasonably sure the recipient is seeing what you're seeing.
A few points
Some Sans Serif fonts have one big disadvantage. Digit 1, capital I and lower-case l are virtually indistinguishable. Likewise digit 0 and capital O. It's a disaster when you're given a random-alphanumeric password in Gill Sans :(
Gill Sans (Light)/Narrow: Someone at the Halifax thought that this would be a wizard idea for statements. Trouble was that some of their printers could not print the very thin verticals. Quite a disaster. Avoid.
If you create a Word document, or PDF, or email, the fonts you use may look great on your PC but when sent electronically, it will only look the same to the recipient if they have the exact same fonts installed.
PDFs: Only if you don't (know how to) embed fonts - something you should always do when creating a PDF that is to be electronically distributed.
Can I refer you all to the Royal National Institute for the Blind's Clear Print Guidelines? (www.rnib.org.uk)
The issue (aside from what looks professional, which is obviously important) is how best to make your written work as accessible as possible to others, who may have a visual impairment for example, and as easy and as clear to read as possible.
Comic sans brings me out in a cold sweat but...
then my husband's ex-wife used to use it for her demands for more money.
The choice of font to some extent depends upon the amount of text to be read. If there is a lot of text then a serif font such as TNR is best, it's easy on the eye and so easy to read. Sans serif fonts such as Arial tend to be used on web pages due to limits on screen resolution so can be easier to read on a screen.
I think different fonts suit different letterheads. For example, the type font on my letterheads is arial so arial font suits.
On my old letterheads from 10-15 years ago TNR was most appropriate.
Little tiny feet
I was advised by a partially sighted friend that TNR was the best because the letters had "little tiny feet" which made reading easier.
Who knows?
Ironically ...
... the RNIB website is not that useful, I was expecting a clear button through to a concise list of recommended fonts and sizes, unless of course I need to register myself.
It is a balance though between catering for a minority and economics.
I have a client who asks for his accounts in TNR 12 point, this adds about 3 pages, I couldn't do that for all clients or it would put my stationery cost up some 15-20%.
With e-mailed documents it is easy enough to magnify the screen or even change the font to a more preferred one.
As a small practice I cannot produce documents to cater for every single eventuality, but as I am sure most are on here, we are not faceless corporate structures, we have a close amicable one to one relationship with our clients and have the flexibility to offer bespoke services where requested.
The attitude and tone above is I think unwarranted, we are a personal contact profession and most on here would I think bend over backwards to assist clients with specific needs.
I find the query over fonts obvious!!!!
When I first started out there were no such things as computers - well there were but only large compaines could afford one. I purchased my first desktop in 1983 and it cost £4,500 which was more than I paid for my car. Prior to that most print was properly typeset so although there were other type faces available some cost vastly more to set up which put most people off so there were just half a dozen really popular ones which all the small type printers and typewriter manufacturess used. Now you can buy a laptop and printer for less than £400 with literally thousands of free fonts and if you want to buy a rather special one it does not cost a fortune. Technology is the real culprit followed by the availibilty to now be different - thank you but I will stick to TNR because I want my image to be steady and reliable even if it is in this modern World considered a little fuddy duddy and not trendy.
I remember when it didn't matter..
... when we presented accounts to clients on slate tablets and once approved wiped the slate clean afterwards. Those early ChalkJet printers were hard work though I seem to remember.
I had a client who was a monumental mason and could tell who had produced the headstones in thecemetry from the style and typeface used.