The bulk of what we read is body copy. It's the novels, magazine articles, newspaper stories, contracts, and Web pages we read day after day. You are reading body copy now. Body type or a body face is the typeface used for body copy.
What follows are guidelines and rules of thumb only. As with any typographic or design issue, use your own judgment.
Keep in mind that there are many other factors, including line spacing and line length, that will weigh heavily in your final choice of body type for any project. These exercises will help you eliminate some of the most obviously inappropriate choices.
Point Size
So how do you choose a specific typeface for body copy, and why? Body copy is generally set at 14 point or less, with 9-12 point being a good starting point size. Readability is the key to appropriate body type. Since body type is most often set at sizes less than 14 points a simple test of any face is "can you read it at body copy sizes?"
Blocks of Text
Body copy usually consists of sentences, paragraphs, and long lines of type. Even faces that are readable at body copy sizes can fail the readability test when set in long blocks. So the second test would be, "is it tiring or difficult to read long passages set in this typeface?"
- Faces that work well at body copy or text sizes often work well at larger display type sizes. Type designed specifically for display type seldom works as body type.
Serif or Sans Serif
In the U.S. at least, body copy is most often set in serif faces — for most books and newspapers, especially. Experts seldom agree on the reasons for the use of serif or sans serif faces for body copy. The following statements are offered "without prejudice." Ultimately you will decide based on the needs and wishes of your audience, your clients, and your own sense of what is appropriate.
- Serif faces are the norm for most books and newspapers making them familiar and comfortable to readers.
- A good body face blends in and doesn't distract the reader.
- The serifs on some faces aid readability by moving the eye from one letter to the next -- connnecting individual shapes to form whole words.
- Bold, unusual, or very distinctive serifs can distract the reader from the body text.
- Serif faces often have a subdued, formal, or serious look.
- Sans Serif faces are often crisper, bolder, or more informal.
- Sans Serif faces are often more readable than serif faces when set in very small type (such as for footnotes, captions, and "fine print")
- Serif faces printed from 300dpi or lower quality desktop printers or printed on textured paper may lose detail in the thin strokes and delicate serifs.
In choosing between serif and sans serif ask:
• "will my audience accept it?" and;
• "does it convey the appropriate tone for this document?" and;
• "does this face hold up well under the required printing conditions?"
Body Type Choices
So, what are good typefaces for body copy? There are literally thousands of typefaces available. Hundreds of them (probably more than that) might be classified as body type. However, remember that not every typeface is suitable for every job.
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