by Len Morse

Created on: October 09, 2007   Last Updated: February 11, 2011

Good web designers know that text that is written and formatted well is their most valuable asset. The average web user is usually after specific content, so web pages should be as inviting and legible as possible, with text that is pleasing to the eye and virtually effortless to read, as well as informative and entertaining.

Many web design software applications allow design changes (font color, font size, background, etc.) for those who don't know HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) code. Some even offer WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) options, letting you witness your changes as they are made.

Those who do use HTML, XHTML (Extensible Hypertext Markup Language), CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and related code languages can conveniently make manual changes in the code itself. Although these are excellent tools to know, web designers should beware of HTML tags that have become deprecated (no longer accepted by some browsers). A safe bet is to use the lastest versions of HTML and CSS, which give more control over the look of your pages. All of these codes and more can be learned at the extremely user-friendly W3 Schools.

No matter what tools you use, anyone who wants to design his or her own web site should still consider certain details regarding screens and font variations.

== Screen Size ==

Just because you built a beautiful web site that perfectly fits your 1280 x 1024 monitor doesn't mean that everyone else will see it that way. Not all monitors and screen resolutions are the same, so to insure that your visitors can see 100% of your text, you can do one of two things: Either use the smallest common fixed width, or better yet, use 75-90% width if possible. This leaves room along the sides, no matter how wide or narrow your visitor's screen is. The worst thing you can do is make your visitor scroll sideways!

== Screen Alignment ==

Justify only the left side for clean, professional looking text. Some people swear by the practice of justifying the right side as well, but that spreads out the words (and sometimes individual letters) unnaturally, making your text much harder to read.

== Font Face ==

Only use one face (i.e. "Arial," "Helvetica," "Verdana," etc.) for text consistency. If you feel that you absolutely must have two, use one for subtitles and one for regular text. Verdana (a sans-serif font) and Georgia (a serif font) were created especially for on-screen viewing. (Serifs are those little "ticks" or "feet" at

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