Imagine you're walking through a hypermarket or any other store and you approach a shelf lined with jars of balms, masks, and so on. They might even be small packages of ketchup, yogurt, or sour cream. Usually, you'll read through almost all of them, searching for the one you need while also exploring the assortment before deciding what you actually want to buy today.
Now imagine if the text on the packaging was one-third smaller.
You’d probably have to lean in closer or ask someone for help (a sales assistant, a fellow shopper) if your eyesight isn’t perfect. But that’s you. Others might simply walk away without saying a word. They’ll try to find the product in another store or online. And all of these shoppers — including you — can be compared to website visitors who either quickly leave if something doesn’t appeal to them or try their best to study the content. Even if that content is hard to read.
Still, it’s quite common to see small font sizes on websites. And entire articles are written in these sizes, not just captions or info blocks. So why do we often look for ways to shrink the font in web design? Why do we end up enlarging almost every page in the browser? How do large companies handle this? Where is the “golden mean”? So many questions… so many…
Web design is multifaceted, and typography is just one part of the iceberg. But it’s as important as everything else. Since we’ll be paying a lot of attention to font sizes, it makes sense to have a handy little table showing the corresponding values and proportions.
Large Amounts of Content
When we design a website and already have a rough idea of how much and what kind of information it will contain, we subconsciously want users to absorb as much as possible. This includes services, products, contacts, and so on. It’s only natural to want to make sure that we can present a lot of information that can effectively answer visitors’ concerns.
Of all the content a web designer has available, only a portion of it will dominate — and that’s if the font size is chosen wisely. And naturally, reducing the font size is necessary so the rest of the page aligns better with the overall layout.
But here’s the thing: while reducing font size visually decreases content volume, it doesn’t mean users will read everything from start to finish. It’s believed that on a first visit, people read on average only 28% of the content. And if it’s hard to read, even less. This is especially important to keep in mind when working on landing pages and structured content.
For example, take a look at these projects: Omegario2016.sport, Longines, Power of Pomegranate, Gradprogroup. Each one uses a different font sizing strategy — and not all of them are easy to read. For example, at 1080p resolution, the letters might be large, but the lines are so tightly spaced that you have to really concentrate. If you shrink the browser window, the font scales down to an unreadable size. Other examples use static font sizes, and their typography is more pleasant and user-friendly.
The Push for Mobility
Every day we become more aware of the need to design websites for mobile-first audiences. And that’s another reason fonts in web design are shrinking. There's a tendency to ignore the creation of unique typography for different screen sizes. In other words — simplification, one-size-fits-all. Sure, for “h” and “p” tags, sizes under 20px might seem appealing on mobile, but on desktop systems, they’re barely legible.
So the goal is to “smooth the edges” and choose a font that works well in responsive design. One that remains legible both at 1080p and on smaller screens.
For clarity: at high resolution and 100% browser zoom, compare pages from Ria.ru, Vesti, RBC, and Izvestia.ru. At first glance, they seem similar. But once you start reading and looking at headings, you’ll notice the visual differences that affect readability and how quickly you can find what you’re looking for.
Size Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg
Some web designers use or consider using font sizes of 20–24px (for all content and headings). But that doesn’t mean they don’t face typography issues.
Line height, font style, kerning, and weight — each of these parameters plays an important role alongside the chosen font size. Designers need to invest time to ensure they all work in harmony, that the font and overall typography deliver the best possible user experience. We won’t dive deep into typography specifics now, but let’s take a look at these projects: Gradprogroup, Polyus, Storyteller, Shiftage, 9r.ru. Each uses typography that is quite digestible. Even when the font is small, the text remains readable due to generous line spacing, letter spacing, and well-chosen font styles.
Large Fonts and Readability
Large fonts not only have more visual weight and are easier to process, but they can also disappoint visitors. Why? Because users often scan rather than read. They skim for key points. And for this, smaller fonts are actually more practical — letting the eye move quickly across content.
But people of all ages use the internet. And vision deteriorates with age to varying degrees. Older people might struggle to read news or other information online without zooming in or switching glasses. And this isn’t just their issue — it’s everyone’s. The web isn’t just for the young anymore. That’s long been the case.
When designing, you always ask: “Who is this site for?” And while we assume younger audiences will “tolerate” small fonts, that’s also a misconception. Sure, they’ll tolerate it — but only until they become truly interested in the content. Then, even they will have to zoom in to absorb it comfortably.
Do We Need Large Fonts?
Large font sizes have clear benefits. They increase reading speed (see studies from IBM/Google and Payame Noor University). They also have a positive effect on emotions. Moreover, bold and clear headlines help users quickly identify relevant sections. People visit news sites or blogs with something specific in mind. If the headings are small, finding that content becomes tedious. Projects like Yandex News, Polit.info, Rosbalt, Vzglyad prove that large fonts work just fine on both homepages and subpages.
In contrast, projects like Spbdnevnik, vm and similar ones use uniform fonts, which makes it hard for first-time visitors to quickly figure out what’s where.
The flip side of all this is how critical readability is to conversion. Clear headlines shorten time-on-page. So if your goal is engagement, large fonts can help. But if your goal is conversions and long sessions, you’ll need to find a balance.
What Is a Good Font Size?
The answer depends on many factors. Every web designer has their own rules, methods, and equations for calculating and drafting styles for various pages. The key point: font size can’t be considered in isolation. Today’s web requires adaptive design, where text scales properly across all screen sizes to ensure comfortable reading.
A great article offers not only modern font scale ideas but also example CSS code.
Another great resource is type-scale, where you can pick a font family, adjust font size, units, weight, and generate CSS.
If you’re still unsure about the best approach, here are more examples of typography done right. These examples support conversion, offer excellent readability at 1080p, and scale well across devices.
Dallasnews uses large article headlines, a bold menu, and very legible body text. If you resize your browser window, text scales down smoothly, ensuring readability on mobile devices too.
Another great example is Wired. Their typography varies — sometimes large headlines, sometimes bold fonts from a different family, sometimes titles that aren’t larger than the body text. So what happens when you open an article? It’s easy to read in 1080p. You can lean back and enjoy reading about Obi-Wan without zooming in. Plus, important elements are styled differently, helping guide your focus.
The site Qz is similar — their typography, though small, remains highly readable due to large paragraph spacing. Each paragraph stands alone, making it easy to skim or read deeply. Italics, bold quotes, and other elements help break the content into digestible pieces.
Also worth checking: The New York Times, Chekotin, Otpbank, RD Construction, Kerama-orel, Bcode, Crossproduction. All these use font sizes that are accessible to a wide range of users.
Final Thoughts
Web design isn’t just about designers — it’s about user experience. Every achievement needs to be evaluated based on its impact on the target audience. If you're striving to constantly improve your design skills, you must revisit what you’ve already built and run new experiments. Font size can vary, typography can change — but your visual style must stay coherent. How your font and text are structured will shape how your project looks online and how people respond to it.
Naturally, one article can’t fully explore how font size affects perception, how the human eye processes text, or the importance of lighting and age.
There is no universal answer. But you’ll find the “golden mean” where the design feels natural and sleek. Where anyone you know would say: it’s clear, it’s sharp — I knew where everything was at first glance.