Good typography makes eLearning look professional and easier to read. Whether you’re building courses in Articulate Storyline, Rise 360, or any authoring tool, sensible font choices help create clarity, accessibility, and a polished learner experience.
Here are smart, modern tips to guide your font use in eLearning.
Why Fonts Matter in eLearning
Online reading is slower than print, so readability is key. Fonts do more than “look nice” they support comprehension, establish hierarchy (headings vs body text), and ensure accessibility across devices.
Smart Font Guidelines for eLearning
1. Prioritise Sans-Serif for On-Screen Body Text
Use clean sans-serif fonts such as Arial, Calibri, Open Sans, Helvetica or Verdana for body text. These fonts display well on screens and remain clear at different sizes and on different devices.
Serif fonts can work for certain design styles but are generally better suited to print than online learning.
2. Use a Limited, Consistent Font Set (2–3 Max)
Keep your project cohesive by choosing no more than two or three fonts one for headings, one for body text, and optionally one more for captions or subtle accents.
Too many fonts quickly create visual noise and distract learners.
3. Choose Fonts That Don’t Compete With the Content
Fonts should support your message, not overshadow it. If learners notice the typeface more than the content, the font is getting in the way. Aim for clean, unobtrusive typography that makes learning easy.
4. Test-Publish to Check Font Rendering
Some fonts look great in your authoring tool but render poorly once published, especially across browsers, devices, and responsive layouts. Always do a full test publish before finalising your design.
Also ensure your chosen fonts support any non-English characters you may need.
5. Use Theme Fonts or Style Guides to Save Time
In large programs or multi-module builds, set up theme fonts early. Define your heading font, body font, sizes, spacing and colours.
This keeps everything consistent and saves hours of manual formatting.
6. Use Thoughtful Font Pairing – Contrast Without Clashing
If you’re using two fonts (e.g., one for headings and one for body text), choose fonts that complement each other.
You can contrast a modern sans-serif heading with a softer sans-serif body, or keep both from the same family for a clean corporate aesthetic.
7. Focus on Readability: Size, Spacing, X-Height
Font size, line spacing (leading), letter spacing and x-height all influence readability.
Even fonts at the same size can appear dramatically different depending on x-height, so always test how your text feels on screen — especially on smaller devices.
8. Use Emphasis Purposefully – Not as Decoration
Use bold for headings or important points, italics sparingly, and avoid heavy use of underline, all caps or coloured text.
Overusing emphasis formats makes content harder to read and visually cluttered.
9. Check Accessibility: Contrast and Readability
High contrast (e.g., dark text on a light background), appropriate font sizes and simple sans-serif styles help ensure your course is accessible to learners with visual or cognitive challenges.
Accessibility should guide your font choices, not come as an afterthought.
10. Match Font Tone to Your Learning Context
Choose fonts that match the subject matter.
A playful font may suit a creative or child-focused module, but not a compliance, safety or policy course.
Decorative fonts should be used sparingly ideally only in headings or call-outs, never in body text.
Quick Font Checklist for eLearning Projects
- Choose a clean sans-serif font (e.g., Arial, Calibri, Open Sans, Verdana) for body text.
- Use no more than 2–3 fonts per course (heading, body, optional accent).
- Test-publish your module to check how fonts render on different devices.
- Set up theme fonts or a style guide at the start of the project.
- Ensure font size, x-height, line spacing and letter spacing support readability.
- Use emphasis (bold, italics, colour) sparingly and purposefully.
- Maintain high colour contrast for accessibility.
- Match the tone of your font to the subject matter (professional, playful, serious).
Final Thoughts
Fonts play a critical role in how learners absorb information. Clean, thoughtful typography improves comprehension, accessibility and the overall professionalism of your course.
Whether you’re designing interactive Storyline modules or clean, modern Rise courses, using smart font practices helps your learning shine.
