This is version 1 of 2, as it read on September 3, 2026. Read the latest Every version
Rules I keep for type on screens
Not laws. Defaults I only break on purpose.
These are the defaults I start from when setting text for screens. I break them, but only when I know which one I am breaking and why.
- Body text is at least 16 pixels, and usually more.
- Line length stays under about seventy-five characters.
- Line height grows with line length.
- Two typefaces at most, and they must be clearly different.
- Headings are closer to the text they introduce than to the text above them.
- Never centre a paragraph longer than three lines.
- Use real quotes and apostrophes, not straight ones.
- Contrast is not a style choice. Check it.