Choosing the right body copy typography for my application is important. It must be legible and easy to read, especially since my target audience is children. Some of these children may already struggle with reading so the typeface should not be something that hinders them.
I looked on a few websites for advice on choosing a typeface that children will be reading. From these, I tested a few of their suggestions in Figma as well as some I found myself that might work.
Andika is a font I really like. It is easy to read and has a nice even line-height. However, it only has one weight which may limit me. I want more versatility than this for better information architecture.
Quicksand is round and doesn’t have any complicated serifs which makes it “exceptionally easy to read for early learners”. It has multiple weights which gives me more opportunities for variation. My only concern is that it will have less readability when it comes to longer pieces of text.
My other two favourites are Crimson Text and EB Garamond. These are both serif fonts, making them easier to read in long pieces of text. They are also both variable fonts.
My chosen typeface is Quicksand.
It has 5 different weight variations which I think is enough to provide a solid visual hierarchy. As I thought about it more, I don’t think this app will have very long pieces of text anywhere. It would mostly be used for titles, short book descriptions etc. Sans serif fonts are often viewed as more modern so using it for a new app may make it seem more innovative. For the text this will be used for, I think it’s minimalistic rounded style will be very easy for children to read. The numbers are also very clear and have a consistent line height which some of the other fonts did not.
This font may change as I put it into context. However, this is the one I want to stick with for the moment.