Introduction
In this post, we'll dive into the fundamentals of font optimization.
Optimizing fonts involves selecting the right typefaces, controlling file sizes and delivering fonts efficiently to ensure fast loading times.
Why Font Optimization Matters
Readability
Well chosen fonts can enhance readability and make your content more engaging.
Brand Identity
Fonts contribute to your brand identity and personality.
Page Load Speed
Unoptimized fonts can slow down your website's load times.
Faster font loading leads quicker text rendering and improved user experience.
Key elements of font optimization
Font Selection
Choose fonts that align with your brand.
Limit the number of font families to reduce HTTP requests.
Consider using system fonts for faster rendering.
File size reduction
Minimize font file sizes through compression.
Remove unnecessary glyphs and character sets to reduce file size. "Glyphs" are the individual characters in a font set. A "character set" is the collection of characters supported by a font.
Use modern font formats like WOFF2 for better compression and browser support. "WOFF2" is a font format that offers better compression than WOFF and is widely supported by modern browsers.
Font loading strategies
Implement proper font loading techniques to prevent flash of unstyled text. This can be done using the
font-display
property in CSS. Setting it toswap
will display text in a fallback font until the custom font is loaded. Other values includeblock
,fallback
, andoptional
.block
will hide text until the custom font is loaded,fallback
will display text in a fallback font if the custom font fails to load, andoptional
will allow the browser to decide how to handle font loading. The best is usuallyswap
because it provides a good balance between performance and user experience.Preload critical fonts to prioritize their loading. This can be done using the
preload
link tag in the HTML head section. By preloading fonts, you ensure they are loaded early in the page loading process, reducing the chances of text rendering issues.
Responsive typography
Ensure fonts scale well across different devices and screen sizes.
Use
rem
units for fonts to make them responsive to changes in the root font size.