The best and worst fonts

What are the best and worst fonts to display on a webpage? I'll list three of each.

The three best fonts (in no particular order):

  • Palatino: The typeface I used (and using again) for the New Utrecht Reformed Church website I run. Palatino feels appropriate for a church website.
  • Old Standard: The typeface used for this blog. Text from serifs such as Old Standard seem to me to read better than san-serifs.
  • Goudy Old Style: The font I used for the letterhead of the Friends of Historic New Utrecht and also for its newsletter I published in the mid 2000s. Goudy seems to appreciate the sense of history conveyed by Friends events.
Now the three worst fonts (again in no particular order):
  • Arial: While sometimes it is used very well, often this "generic sans serif; almost a bland sans serif" is used "very badly" because it is used so often. Arial is cheap-looking especially when used in items such as letters and layouts with boring designs.
  • Times New Roman: In my opinion the serif equivalent to Arial. It is used so often it can be bland to read. The font was originally intended for the Times newspaper.
  • Comic Sans: This font needs no explanation. The font was intended for use in MS Bob, an electronic assistant to help children use computers. Comic Sans is too often used inappropriately. (See also here.)
So ends my list of the three best and worst fonts. Do you have a particular favorite or one you loathe? Comment below.

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