Definition

What Is Typography in Web Design?

The art of arranging type — selecting typefaces, sizes, weights, spacing, and line heights — to create readable, hierarchically clear, and aesthetically appropriate text.

Related Terms

Font

Brand Guidelines

Visual Hierarchy

Design System

Whitespace

Example

A SaaS website uses a type scale with a 48px H1, 32px H2, 20px H3, and 16px body — creating clear visual hierarchy without relying on colour alone.

Good typography improves reading comprehension by up to 20% and increases time on page significantly — with poor typography being cited as a primary reason for page abandonment by 38% of users, according to Adobe's typography and UX research.

Synonyms:

Type design, Font system

Acronyms:

-

What it applies to

Every text element on every page of the website. Typography decisions — typeface, scale, weight, line height, letter spacing — affect readability, brand perception, and page performance.

How to define a web typography system

  • Choose typefaces: Select one heading font and one body font. Ensure both are available in web format (WOFF2) and cover all required weights.
  • Build a type scale: Choose a base size (typically 16px for body) and a scale ratio (1.25 Major Third or 1.333 Perfect Fourth are common). Apply the ratio to generate H1 through caption sizes.
  • Set line heights: Body text: 1.5–1.6. Headings: 1.1–1.3. Tighter headings feel impactful; looser body text feels readable.
  • Set letter spacing: Body text: 0 or -0.01em. Large headings: -0.02em to -0.04em (slightly tighter for large sizes reads more naturally).
  • Define max line length: 65–75 characters per line is the optimal reading width. Use max-width on text containers to enforce this.

In Webflow

Define all type styles as global Text Styles in the Style panel. Apply them consistently using the tag selector (all H1s, all H2s, etc.) rather than styling individual elements — this ensures one change updates the entire site.

Typography: Common Questions Answered

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