So Many Fonts, So Little Time!
When working with websites there are several things you have to consider such as what colors you want to use, how everything is going to be laid out, what programming language you are going to use for dynamic purposes, and of course what fonts to use for the logo, headers, and the main body text. Well with so many fonts out there to choose from it can all get to be a bit overwhelming, especially when you are looking for a font to represent your brand or identity.
The problem is though even if you find that awesome font you want to use, there is a very slim chance that it will actually work for the main body text. The reason being that in order for the browser to render the font, the system the user is viewing your website from needs to also have that font installed. This means that unless by some random chance the user has the same font installed that is being called upon, the browser will revert to a default font style which may not be ideal for your vision. Fortunately, several people have tackled this problem before and compiled several lists of web safe fonts that transcend various operating systems allowing for you to pick a font that you can be sure will be rendered almost exactly the same for each user.
One of my favorite lists comes from the AMPsoft website and for good reason. Along with a very descriptive table including each font represented in its native rendered state, the website also contains several screen shots of what the font table looks like across over 10 different variations of operating systems, browsers, and versions. Don’t just take my word for it thought, feel free to check it out and bookmark the page: http://www.ampsoft.net/webdesign-l/WindowsMacFonts.html. This way the next time you go to modify your website, or build a new one, you will have a very good idea of what is in store for your users when they are viewing your website and reading your content.