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Went with high contrast text over aesthetic fonts and got pushback
For a local library website redesign, I had to pick between a trendy thin font and a chunky high contrast one. I went with the ugly high contrast option because the library serves a lot of older patrons. Two board members complained it looked like a government document from 1995. Six months later, the usage stats showed a 40% drop in support requests from seniors. Still getting side eyes at meetings though. Has anyone else dealt with clients who prioritize looks over readability?
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jake_mason302mo ago
Honestly I used to be one of those designers who pushed for the prettier fonts. Thought anything that looked too basic was just lazy. But then I redesigned a site for a community center and went with this real clean sans-serif that I thought looked modern and fresh. Old people couldn't read it man. They called in saying the letters looked like they were blurring together. Ended up having to redo the whole thing with a chunky font and it was a pain in the ass. Now I always think about who's actually gonna be reading it not just who's approving it. Your board members don't have to use the damn site every day but those seniors sure do.
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felix4782mo ago
Went through almost the same thing with a library site I worked on. Swapped in Atkinson Hyperlegible and it solved most of the complaints without looking too clunky.
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