Your Favorite eLearning Font?

Mar 13, 2012

Fonts used to be my favorite element of design, but I'm finding myself in a bit of a font slump.

I'd love some help: What is your go-to font  when you design a course?

22 Replies
Sarah Tinson

We have a couple of corporate-created fonts that I use for some courses, but for others I tend to use good old Calibri.

For 'important notes' or just content I want to emphasise, I often use this Shane Matthews font that I downloaded from this site - either as above in a blackboard look, or sometimes on a whiteboard just to mix it up a little! I love the handwritten look, and the little drawings that I can add to really make it look like a blackboard or whiteboard.

I use a lot of post-it type images as well to emphasise points, and use this font on them too. Love it!

Natalia Mueller

Zara! Good to "see" you. I've missed seeing your comments around the forum. Maybe I've just been in the wrong convos.

I could easily spend a lot of time in font land. I love them. Since I'm currently working on all software-related courses, I tend to go with a tech-look for titles and headers and the sans-serif route for body text. I'm a fan of handwritten fonts for notes and scenario elements as well. Love Shane Matthews. I also like Permanent Marker.

I recently attended a workshop with Tom K and David. David showed us the coolest and simplest font trick ever. Just  throw out word associations based on the course topic and then google it. For example, a course on going green. Related words could be, Nature, Natural, Organic, Healthy, etc. Google "Nature fonts" and so on. You often get exactly what you're looking for to go with your design theme. At least for your titles and headers. 

If you're interested in the whole design piece, it's here. And here is a link to the mind map template he uses. Design in general is often an area where I find myself spending a lot of time, so I have become a huge fan of this process for all of the course design elements, fonts included.

Zara Ogden

Thanks Natalia for the kind words. I have been 12 feet deep in some pretty big project the last while. It is really exciting.

I utilize the links to free fonts that have been posted in the forums and also Google "free fonts" then i just explore. I have acquired quite a few that I am just waiting to use but don't have a use yet. 

http://www.dafont.com/

My suggestion is just always be aware of what kinda free you are dealing with. Really free or free for personal use. I am always looking for a realistic and nicely scripted font so if anyone has any recommendations let me know.

Regina Lehotay

I have been looking around and can't find the Shane matthews pen font for download - anyone know where i can find it?

I inheirited a course which uses it throughout and they want the same font and on my machine it doesn't preview properly and i can't create new text boxes with the font until i install it.

thanks,

regina

Daniel Brigham

Hi, Kristin: I think the most important choice is the title font. After awhile, people get used the main body font and don't really see it. I generally use fonts installed in Windows or fonts I've purchased. Free fonts can be problematic (not including characters you need, not showing up properly, etc.)

My basic template: bold title font (Aachen Bold, Brittanic Bold et al); easy to read sans serif (Corbel, Articulate et al), script font for notes (Segoe print, Freestyle script et al). Here's a look I'm experimenting with -- all font installed in Windows 7. Hope that helps. --Daniel

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