There are a lot of fonts out there… A LOT. Relatively few of them, however, are considered “web safe”, because users have to have the font installed on their machine to have it display right. Many fonts come bundled with operating systems, and sometimes, web browsers. They all have their pros and cons, but there are some that, in my opinion, should be avoided in favor of other alternatives.

Serif Fonts

Serif fonts get their name from the little “extras” on the letters; the tails and the other decorations ending the letters’ strokes.

The typical default font you see around is Times New Roman. Now, there’s nothing wrong with this font, or any of them for that matter. The biggest problem I have with this font is its overuse. If you open up a new document in Microsoft Word, Times New Roman is the font you start typing with. Many people don’t change this, so most printed items you see have Times New Roman. Usually if you see things repeatedly, you will get sick of them, no matter how good they look. So to me, nothing says “I put almost no thought into this design” than sticking with the default serif font in most web browsers. (more…)