Re:Stop Using Arial and Helvetica (2013)
by Freak_NL on Monday January 30, 2017 @05:13AM
(#13519855)
Helvetica is a bit of an acquired taste (I can't stand its grotesque x-height), but regardless of whether it looks good or not (which is a subjective judgement in any case), I agree with the article that it is for many people just not a very good typeface to read larger amounts of prose in.
If readability of multiple paragraphs of text is your goal, than there are many alternatives that are measurably easier to read (e.g., for sans-serif typefaces: try DejaVu Sans, Open Sans, or Calibri, or consider a typeface with serifs suitable for screens).
A lot depends on your target audience of course (age and eyesight matter as well), and HiDPI screens help a bit — but unless your demographics consist exclusively of Apple fans or mobile users only you can't rely on that. On average though reading Helvetica (and Arial) is cognitively more taxing than a lot of good alternatives. I'm surprised this isn't common knowledge in the HN crowd.
If readability of multiple paragraphs of text is your goal, than there are many alternatives that are measurably easier to read (e.g., for sans-serif typefaces: try DejaVu Sans, Open Sans, or Calibri, or consider a typeface with serifs suitable for screens).
A lot depends on your target audience of course (age and eyesight matter as well), and HiDPI screens help a bit — but unless your demographics consist exclusively of Apple fans or mobile users only you can't rely on that. On average though reading Helvetica (and Arial) is cognitively more taxing than a lot of good alternatives. I'm surprised this isn't common knowledge in the HN crowd.