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by roadster72 4542 days ago
TBH, I stopped reading it because I really do not like the font used on the website.
5 comments

I’ve said it before and I will repeat it here:

“It appears that this website bought the rights to publish this article from the author.

The original article appears to have been posted on the author’s blog quite some time ago: https://ooomf.com/blog/the-science-behind-fonts-and-how-they...

As such criticising contradictions between website design and what the article advocates makes even less sense than it usually does.”

Really? That's surprising to me—it's the same font that's used on Medium (FF Tisa) and it's one that, after seeing it on Medium, I fell in love with, so much so that I signed up for Typekit just so I could use it on my personal site. Do other people here feel that way about this font?
The font was very comfortable to read on my old 3GS, what type of screen are you reading on? Regarding serif fonts, I've certainly found a new appreciation for them since getting a laptop with a retina screen.
I'm on Macbook 13.3-inch LED widescreen display and do not like the font either.

Since the majority of internet users have much less pixels per inch as compared to the retina, I think it should be best for websites to use san serif.

Actually, looking at it on my laptop it looks far better if I zoom up a couple of notches.
Interesting. I had the same reaction. Might be a combination of the font being serif and the text being too light.
Seconded, I don't like Serif fonts for non-book reading.
Correct, that's what the popular opinion is too. Sans Serif fonts are easier to read on computer monitors because they are less visually complex.
How does that follow? Serifs exist because they aid legibility. For what reason would that be true on paper, but false on a computer screen?
While designers/bloggers tend to cite scientific studies advocating sans over serif (or the other way around depending on the context), no conclusive scientific evidence to prefer one or the other [1]

However, the historical reason why sans-serif are generally recommended over a serif on a computer screen was a matter of practicality. The computer monitor simply couldn't replicate the tiny detail required by serifs. Higher resolution screens are becoming more common place, which is why you'll see more serifs in use online (IMO... correlation vs causation and all that). Somewhere along the line someone cited scientific articles to help justify this practice, but I'm convinced it became common place was really for practical reasons/aesthetics more than anything.

[1] I haven't personally done a literature review, but this post is great in discussing the conclusiveness around the research (and readability vs legibility vs....) http://alexpoole.info/blog/which-are-more-legible-serif-or-s...

That's an excellent article you linked -- thanks! From it I gather that no one really knows why serifs exist in the first place; that there is absolutely no meaningful evidence to support a contention in favor of either style on the basis of legibility; and that, at basis, the question is one of aesthetic preference.
No problem!

Here's an interesting anecdote I just remembered, though. A psychology professor of mine was attempting to replicate another researchers work. The result couldn't be replicated when the stimuli was displayed in sans-serif fonts, but it was replicated when they finally used the font the initial researchers did: a serif.

I'd bet serifs/sans may have some sort or psychological implications but I doubt it's as straightforward a relationship as often presented

Popular, but not really empirically substantiated.