Typography of Facebook
The Web Style Guide claims that "good typography depends on the visual contrast between one font and another and between text blocks, headlines, and the surrounding white space." The header's background is blue with white text links, which are the most frequently used.
In contrast Facebook's background is white, which makes the blue and black text easy to read. The Web Style Guide also points out that "nothing attracts the eye and brain of the reader like strong contrast and distinctive patterns" which Facebook utilizes by contrasting color and regular to bold font links.The header font links are bold and white, which contrasts perfectly to the blue background. Blue text within the Facebook homepage or user profiles are links, while the text in black is not linked.
The Web Style Guide comments that "boldface fonts quickly become monotonous, because if everything is bold then nothing stands out boldly." Text for user names is bold and blue, signifying that the identity of the user is the most important. By the customary repetitive use of text color and type of font Facebook users experience constant legibility between text that is linked from text that is not.
Fallon Guess
CMS 3710
Updated: 12 November 2008