CSS Fonts
Font Selection is Important
Choosing the right font has a huge impact on how the readers experience a website.
The right font can create a strong identity for your brand.
Choosing a font that is easy to read is important. It is also important to choose a good color and size for your font.
The CSS font-family Property
The CSS font-family property
specifies the font for an element.
Tip: The font-family property should
hold several font names as a "fallback" system. If the browser does not support the first font, it tries the next font. The font names should be separated with a comma.
Always start with the font you want, and always end with a generic family, to let the browser pick a similar font in the generic family, if no other fonts are available.
Note: If the font name is more than one word, it must be in quotation marks, like: "Times New Roman".
Tip: Read more about fallback fonts in CSS Web Safe Fonts.
Example
Specify some different fonts for three paragraphs:
.p1 {
font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, serif;
}
.p2 {
font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
}
.p3 {
font-family: "Lucida Console", "Courier New", monospace;
}
Try it Yourself »
CSS Generic Font Families
In CSS, there are five generic font families:
- Serif fonts - have a small stroke at the edges of each letter. They create a sense of formality and elegance.
- Sans-serif fonts - have clean lines (no small strokes attached). They create a modern and minimalistic look.
- Monospace fonts - here all the letters have the same fixed width. They create a mechanical look.
- Cursive fonts - imitate human handwriting.
- Fantasy fonts - are decorative/playful fonts.
All the different font names belong to one of the generic font families.
Difference Between Serif and Sans-serif Fonts
Note: On computer screens, sans-serif fonts are considered easier to read than serif fonts.
Some Font Examples
| Generic Font Family | Examples of Font Names |
|---|---|
| Serif | Times New Roman Georgia Garamond |
| Sans-serif | Arial Verdana Helvetica |
| Monospace | Courier New Lucida Console Monaco |
| Cursive | Brush Script MT Lucida Handwriting |
| Fantasy | Copperplate Papyrus |
Exercise?What is this?
Test your skills by answering a few questions about the topics of this page
What is the primary reason for selecting the right font for a website?
