Avoid Too Many Text Styles

Why Using Fewer Text Styles Makes a Stronger Brand

A strong brand relies on clarity and consistency, and nowhere is that more evident than in typography. When designing a website or product, it's tempting to use many different text styles to show hierarchy or add flair. But too much variation can create visual noise and make interfaces harder to scan.

Ask Before You Add

Before adding a new text style, ask yourself: is there an existing style that can do the job? Does this variation actually help the user, or is it just visual clutter? When in doubt, simplify.

How to Define Your Core Text Styles

At its core, a good typography system should be simple and repeatable. Instead of creating a new style for every use case, try to define a small set of core styles, such as headings, body text, captions, and labels, that cover 90% of your needs. Then apply those styles consistently across the experience.

For most projects, it's best to keep the number of text styles minimal. A good starting point includes:

• Headings: A small range (like H1–H3) for clear hierarchy
• Body text: One base style with occasional emphasis
• Captions or labels: For supplementary content or UI elements

This set often covers 90% of use cases without overwhelming users or developers. The team at Marker.io, a company known for visual bug tracking tools, recommends no more than two different font families to maintain clarity.

Adapt to the Project

A simple blog or landing page might only need a few styles. Larger applications with diverse content might require more—but the key is to document and reuse them consistently.

Anita Chang, a UX designer and writer, explains how text styles contribute to readability and accessibility across products in her article Establishing Text Styles in a Design System.

Quick Reference: Typography Do's and Don'ts

• Establish a clear hierarchy with size, weight, and spacing
• Use a base font size of at least 16px for body text
• Limit the number of font families to two
• Document your decisions—even in a simple shared doc

For a deeper dive on typographic structure, check out this guide from Neue World, a design agency that specializes in branding and systems: Typography: A Detailed Discussion.

Readability Details: Line Height, Font Size, Emphasis

Beyond style variety, small adjustments like line height and font size have a big impact on readability. A comfortable line height makes paragraphs easier to scan, while a too-tight or too-loose setting can cause eye strain. According to Material Design guidelines, a line height of around 1.5 is optimal for body text in most digital interfaces.

Font size is another critical factor. Using anything below 14px risks making content difficult to read, particularly on mobile devices. Many systems, including the U.S. Web Design System, recommend a base font size of 16px for body text.

Overusing bold text reduces its impact. Save bold styles for emphasis that truly matters. The same goes for ALL CAPS. They can work well for short labels or acronyms, but long blocks of capitalized text are harder to read and can feel like shouting. Nielsen Norman Group emphasizes that all-caps text slows down reading and should be used sparingly.

Typography is one of the most visible parts of your visual identity. Getting it right not only improves readability and accessibility, but also helps reinforce the brand identity you're trying to build. Whether you're building a design system or simply trying to stay consistent across pages, documenting your choices can go a long way.