Choosing Medical Fonts? Best Typography for Medical Websites

Choosing the Right Typography Banner
Table of Contents

The fonts you use can help or hurt your branding message.

An attractive, well-designed website is the hallmark of any good medical marketing. From the layout of your website to the images you use to the language in your copy, every component of your website serves a purpose.

The first purpose of your website is to serve as the first impression to your patients. Your website is often the first thing people will notice about your practice. An attractive website that’s easy to navigate will tell people that your business is trustworthy and takes pride in what it does. A website that’s frustrating and put together with little thought and strategy will tell people that your medical practice doesn’t take enough pride in what they do and who they serve to invest in quality medical website design.

O360 Ad - Medical Web Design

One component of medical marketing that people don’t think about is the typography used on a website. Think about different products you use and how various brands use a font.

A beer producer is going to use a font that’s edgy and says that it promises a good time. A multi-billion dollar corporation will use a font that communicates that it is strong and capable. And a children’s daycare center might use one that’s colorful and fun. Each brand uses a font and color scheme that communicates its company’s and brand’s essence. A healthcare professional needs to do the same.

What is Brand Essence?

Your brand essence is the heart and soul of your brand. It’s the constant you carry throughout your products or services, how your staff interacts with patients, and what you stand for as a business.

A brand message can be summarized into three words. For example:

“quality, integrity, compassion.”

It’s whatever you want your practice to be known for.

In this article, we’ll discuss:

  1. What is typography?
  2. Components of Typeface
  3. The Good vs. Bad
  4. Best Choices for Typography
  5. Overall Look Matters
  6. Typography for Doctors and Dentists

What is Typography?

Know When And When Not To Use Serif Fonts

Typography is the art of arranging type – letters, and characters. How you arrange those letters in website design for medical professionals can send different messages to visitors to your website.

The height, thickness, point size, line length, and spacing all play a role in typography arrangement. People would arrange letters physically in the past, but thanks to today’s computers, open-source fonts, and photo editing tools, arranging typography is much easier.

What’s So Important About Typography?

Typography makes a big impact through little changes. The spacing between letters and the thickness of letters can impact how easy your content is to read on smaller screens. For example, Helvetica Neue was used by Apple before switching to an in-house font. They created a new font that allowed for more breathing room between letters and would ultimately read better on their iPads and iPhones.

O360 Ad - Medical Web Design

As you begin to think about how to integrate typography into website design for healthcare professionals, think about who your audience is. Older people might need a bigger font with more spacing between letters, while younger audiences might enjoy smaller fonts with unique curves.

What’s the difference between fonts and typefaces?

Although font and typeface are used interchangeably, these words actually mean two different things. Typeface refers specifically to what you see in a creative piece, whereas font is the physical collection of letters and characters.

Font-Structures

The Impact of Typography on Your Medical Website

Many in the medical profession may make the mistake of thinking the style of their typography should be an “in your face” type style. Consider who will be searching for the website. Usually, it will be prospective patients or possible competitors for your market share. It may be said website design predicates the need for a well-chosen format that indicates the professionals it represents.

Within quality medical website design lies the need to punctuate the content with a legible, easy-to-read font. This is especially important for medical websites that contain technical terminology that may be read by other professionals within the medical community.

Tools of Typography You Should Know

Choose typography that offers optimal white space between alpha and numeric characters so these characters are not misinterpreted. For example, suppose chemical terms that contain superscript or subscript letters or numbers are to be included. In that case, the choice should allow for sufficient leading, kerning, and tracking so these terms do not run together and become misunderstood or difficult to read.

To better understand leading and kerning, it is necessary to know these are adjustments made to space between typed characters in the text.

Leading keeps the spaces between lines of text from being too close together. Kerning controls the space between each character so that alpha letters with “tails” or serifs do not cling to characters located before or after them.

Tracking is another part of typography that’s important to understand because it gives a “finished” look to each line of typed text so that important medical terms are not broken up by hyphens or become “widows” and “orphans.” Widows occur when a word hangs on a separate line with a gap in spacing to the rest of the text. An orphan occurs when a paragraph is separated from the rest of the text and is “orphaned” at the bottom of the page or column.

Components of Typeface

When it comes to typeface, several components of it should be paid attention to when choosing and arranging it.

Block-Fonts-Type

The baseline is the line where the letters sit. The cap height is the distance from the baseline to the top of a capital letter. This comes in handy when aligning type. The X height is situated between the baseline and cap height. It’s the height of the lowercase letter.

The bowl is the curved part of the character that encloses the circular or curved part of letters like ‘d’, ‘b’, and ‘o’. After bowls, you have the serif, which is little projections that finish a stroke in a letter. Think about the little “feet” mentioned above. Finally, the defender is the longest point in a letter that ends below the baseline.

Serif Fonts

Serif fonts are fonts that have little feet. This font is easier to read in long, printed works, so it is often used in novels. Common serif fonts include Times New Roman, Georgia, and Garamond. These fonts are easier to read because the letters are quite distinct.

Sans Serif Font

Sans means without in French. Sans serif means without serifs. You’ll notice these feet do not have the little feet as serif fonts do. Arial and Verdana are common sans-serif fonts. These fonts are often used in web documents and on blogs because they read well on low-screen resolutions and appear more modern.

Blackletter

Goth and Old English are common blackletter fonts. These fonts have thick, thin strokes and were used in Gutenberg’s Bible. They were common before 1500, making them typically used today in documents that are meant to appear historic.

These letters are incredibly difficult to read, so it’s typically only in headers or logos when used today. Think of the New York Times logo. This likely isn’t something that will be used in website design for medical professionals.

Script Fonts

These fonts are based on handwriting. Think of the beautiful lettering that goes on a wedding invitation. But they’re so much more than that. Casual scripts also mimic an individual’s daily handwriting, as opposed to penmanship.

Good vs. Bad Typography

Ultimately, implementing the appropriate typography for your medical marketing strategy comes down to selecting one that will meet the needs of your audience and communicate your brand essence.

Test various fonts to see what works best on your website’s desktop version and mobile devices. Consider how the font will appear when printed on business cards, as keeping a consistent use of typography and font will help establish your brand.

Consider the efficacy of the typography. You might find one that seems super cool and edgy but find that it suits neither your website nor your brand essence. Using it could make your website look silly and even turn people away.

Moving to the Best Choices of Typography

Typestyle selection in the medical and other healthcare professions includes those listed below. These are the most recommended by Stanford University for creative, effective marketing and communication, and branding.

Source Sans Pro, a sans serif type that works well with most medical website text. It is easy on the eyes, especially for lengthy medical and technical white papers.

Source Sans Pro Font Sample

Crimson Text, stylish type for printed medical communications.

Crimson Pro Font Sample

Fjord One, consider using this font as an accent, helping to grab website visitors’ attention quickly.

Fira Sans Black Font Sample

Other Issues to Consider

Keep in mind websites for all types of businesses, including medical websites are always under guidelines of browser capabilities. It is important to note that browsers change font weights according to individual algorithms.

A “font weight” is simply the thickness of the type. The thickness or weight of the typestyle chosen depends on using italics, bold, and other character enhancements.

It’s All About the Look of Website Typography

While it is certainly true medical website content is the central focus of why information is presented, it is also true that typographical enhancements retain or lose interest if the type is not legible.

When individuals search for medical websites, the first glance at the site needs to be stylish and informative. It’s been determined that websites have less than three seconds to grab attention.

Pairing Different Types of Fonts to Get Your Message Across

There are specific places where the viewer should be attracted to a website. Whether it be a tagline or presenting a business name, the use of paired typography will shine through. Here are examples of where this works.

Script and Letter Types

Sunshine State Womens Care Website Screenshot - Script Font
sunshinestatewomenscare.com – Optometry Office in Florida

“Women Care” is what the viewer should pay attention to. The script font allows the viewer’s eye to look further.

Mixing Bold and Handwriting

American Eye
americaneyecare.com – Optometry Office in Iowa

While this website design has asymmetrical components, the viewer is immediately attracted to the bold tagline and the hand-written script supporting the tagline.

Pairing Bold vs. Slim Weights

Alamitos Oral Surgery
alamitosoralsurgery.com – Oral Surgery Office in California.

There are many areas of text noted on this website. However, the designer focuses on the boldness of specific parts of the tagline and leaves less important phrases in a more thin, incognito view.

Color Pairing With Font Types

Bloom Dermatology
bloomdermatology.com – Dermatology Office in Texas

Though designers may choose the same typeface, one may still differentiate text with the use of color. This example shows a primarily pink color scheme, but the business name is the only blue portion of the view.

Differences in Type for Medical Professionals

The choice of type depends mainly on the particular medical practice. Surgeons, medical specialists, and primary care physicians may prefer a more formal website type. Dentists may choose a less formal type when their practices involve adults and children.

The most important factor in the choice of type is how the target market reacts to it. A medical target market comprises prospective clientele, medical vendors, and competitors. These variations affect the overall impact of the type chosen.

For example, vendors seeking potential doctors and dentists to market supplies and goods may not want to wade through website content with a sans serif type used throughout the content. This is when splitting up type may be advantageous.

Site headlines can be serif type while content beneath the headline is presented in sans serif type. This is also true for medical sites that are marketing specific services or goods. There is more flexibility for professionals who market medical or surgical equipment on websites that can afford the use of up to three types of styles. Be aware that the type chosen will be viewed and judged by competitors.

New vs. Existing Medical Sites

Another issue for consideration is whether the practice is new or existing with a long-standing clientele. First impressions are lasting impressions even for startup medical, dental, and medical professionals.

Choose content focusing on professionalism and type that offers a fresh image for announcing a new medical practice. Existing medical sites may want to use two sets of types for additions to their services to ensure the information is not ignored.

Keep type density at practical levels to avoid tedium. That’s the fastest way to divert site visitors’ attention.

Medical Professionals Websites

Many medical professionals write via a website for medical associations or others in their specific local groups. The typography chosen for this needs to be formal type. However, this is where the type chosen should collaborate with typographical tools like leading, kerning, and tracking for the best medical and technical presentations.

Learn Typography Early

Learning the variances in typography styles early on is valuable in understanding medical and dental website design and effective website content.

It may be a good idea for medical and dental students to present their student documentation in the suggested serif and sans serif type styles to learn how to create stylish medical and dental documents and text that looks professional.

Demographics Affect Type Style

Where a medical professional, medical or dental practice is located also affects type styles. There are several serif and sans-serif types from which to choose. Study those most often seen on medical sites in the local area to arrive at the preferred type used.

Formal types are often used in larger urban areas to attract a more diverse group of prospective patients and medical clients. In rural areas, less formal types suit the needs of this demographic region.

What Message Does Type Choice Send?

The sole purpose of learning the tools of typography and studying the target market and demographics is to send a message that looks professional and a type that offers a professional “tone.”

This points out the compatibility between the type chosen and links to branding. Once a medical brand is announced with the proper type choice, it should have the ability to be retained in memory. There is a definite connection between font choice and increasing online visibility.

Font pairs examples

Font Combination Example 1
Font Combination Example 2
Font Combination Example 3
Font Combination Example 4

Conclusion

At the end of the day, good use of quality ty­pog­ra­phy can help your medical website en­gage its visitors, guide them, and ul­ti­mately help convert them into new patients. When in doubt, ask an expert, there are so many fonts and typefaces to choose from, and the experts at O360® know how to help you select them.

Website design guide for vets.

Want more patients?

We've provided thousands of patient our clients websites. Why don't you join these successful doctors?
Choosing the Right Typography Banner
Table of Contents

Want more patients?

We've provided thousands of patient our clients websites. Why don't you join these successful doctors?

O360 Voted Best for DESIGN

o360.com is ranking on the top of the page on Google for over 25 dental and medical specialties.

Join our email list to receive the latest marketing tips and tricks as well as dental product reviews. No Spam.

Latest Blog Posts

Feet scanning

25+ Podiatry Marketing Ideas | 2023 Update

As a podiatrist, you know that exceptional foot and ankle care is your business. But exceptional marketing is what grows your business. While word-of-mouth referrals are ideal, you can’t rely on them alone to fill

Two professional programmer cooperating and working on web site project in a software developing on desktop computer at company, codes and typing data code, Programming with HTML, PHP and javascript.

Top 10 Online Scheduling Software for Dentists

One of the most powerful ways to increase efficiency when it comes to acquiring new patients and retaining existing ones comes in the form of scheduling software. The benefits include the convenience of your patients

Columbus Medical Urgent Care Center Website

Best Urgent Care Marketing Ideas

This article will explore strategies and tactics to help you effectively market your urgent care practice and attract new patients. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to boost your patient base, these tips and

Does Anyone Know How Google Ranks Websites?

The simple answer is no. So how does website ranking work? Hear us out on this one. Microsoft (the #1 software company in the world), has spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to figure

Medical icons collection

Top 5 Medical Practice Management Software | 2023

Comparison Table for Best Practice Management Programs for Physicians Software EHR/EMR Medical Billing Telemedicine Patient Portal ONC Certification HIPAA Compliance CareCloud Central Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Eclipse Practice Management Software Yes Yes No