Page 62 - 100 Great Copywriting Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

ease. Pretty basic, isn’t it? Set your type in a size that can be read
comfortably by a normal human being. Yet it’s surprising how
many designers don’t seem to have grasped this most fundamental
of principles.
I have even seen the main body copy for a brochure set in a 6-point
light sans-serif type—6-point type is for footnotes. Viewed in less
than ideal lighting conditions by, say, a 35-year old, it’s verging on
the invisible.
Take a leisurely look at your fellow humans. Observe how many of
them are beyond the first flush of youth and 20–20 vision, and how
many of them wear glasses or use contact lenses. A lot of these aging,
sentient beings are your customers. They lead busy lives. They have
better things to do than wriggling through visual obstacles to reach
your sales message.

In practice

• Legibility varies enormously according to font, weight, and

line spacing. But as a rule of thumb aim for 9- or 10-point as a
minimum size for your main copy.

• Type size does matter. And if the customer can read your

message without even being aware of the type size, then it’s the
right size.

100 GREAT COPYWRITING IDEAS • 53