A thread about using fonts/typography in presentations. Decisions about text matter. Just as you can speak the same word in many ways, the way you write text can affect communication, emotion, and attitude. 🧵1/19 https://t.co/e4PPu2D5Vq

Some basics: Fonts are commonly characterized as serif fonts or sans serif fonts. Serifs are little projections that hang off the ends of letters. Sans serif fonts do not have these projections. 🧵2/19 https://t.co/mA5dFlDVzs

Serif fonts are great for printed words on a page. In fact, the purpose of the serifs are to guide the eye in reading text from left to right on a page. This is why most journals/books/magazines use serif fonts. 🧵3/19 https://t.co/javb63uk0r

Sans serif fonts are easier to see and perceive from a distance. All billboards and theater marquees feature sans serif fonts. Sans serif fonts are best for slides and posters because text is easier to read from across a room. 🧵4/19 https://t.co/MKpCAodvNI

In figures, sans serif fonts are always the best choice because they are easiest to perceive. Arial or Helvetica are always excellent and accepted by any printed journal. 🧵5/19 https://t.co/yKhlwOeK8C

Some sans serif fonts convey a bit more personality than others. They can make a slide or poster presentation seem less standard or routine without being too playful or unprofessional. 🧵6/19 https://t.co/zw00m84Zxf

Some sans serif fonts are extremely playful. However, they may be conspicuously playful in a way that is distracting and draws attention from the content. They also might look like a presenter is trying too hard to be fun. 🧵7/19 https://t.co/bkyJJNybdA

Non-proportional (also called “monospaced”) fonts are fonts in which each character has the same width. These fonts are terrific for writing letters in a sequence, such as sequences of DNA, amino acids, or computer code. 🧵8/19 https://t.co/UIvnO8ystw

Specialty fonts convey a lot of personality and tone. They are ideal during moments when you may want to conspicuously capture an audience’s attention, but can easily be distracting. I use them sparingly. 🧵9/19 https://t.co/ZCyrelHde0

Obviously, the ultimate goal of a font is to be legible. In written presentations, a standard serif font is usually best. For slide or poster presentations, casing, contrast, bolding, italicization, and color can all affect legibility. 🧵10/19 https://t.co/WciRX5JgZQ

A common misconception is that the size of a font is the distance from the bottom to top of a character. In reality, a font size is the height of an imaginary metal block, as it would exist in an old-fashioned typewriter! 🧵11/19 https://t.co/VJDSwUu5jr

Computers specify the size of a font in “points.” A point is defined as 1/12 of a pica, which itself is about 1/6 of an inch. 🧵12/19 https://t.co/myanmg5J0F

Because the point size is the height of an imaginary block in a typewriter and not the height of the character itself, the only way to know exactly how large a font will appear in a particular point size is to try it! 🧵13/19 https://t.co/fDX3jofjlc

It is fun to be deliberate about typesetting, the way characters are arranged together in a word, in a sentence, or on a page. 🧵14/19 https://t.co/Oi6fiUo2u3

Communication is also enhanced when words are grouped together in a pleasing manner on a slide or poster. 🧵15/19 https://t.co/YthcARCdnj

I have only seen one exception in which isolated words look good and unless you are the director of Star Wars, I wouldn’t advise it. 🧵16/19 https://t.co/VBgDC2KyjT

Bullets are a great way to group items into a list or sequence. Like any other visual element, their use should incorporate some simple design principles to increase clarity and communication. 🧵17/19 https://t.co/sj3blQTmwj

Use numbers when you want to show an ordered sequence and a bullet when the sequence is arbitrary. 🧵18/19 https://t.co/bZJ7OiOnR6

I’ll have more to say about fonts and typography in the coming days when talking about slides and posters! Fonts and typography enhance communication and attitude in all forms of presentations. 🧵19/19