Typography is the art and technique of selecting fonts so as to make written language legible, readable, and visually appealing. In the context of email design, choosing the right typography is essential for ensuring your message is clear and engaging. The font you select can significantly impact how your email is perceived, as well as how easy it is to read across different devices and email clients.
The right font can enhance readability, strengthen your message, and create a positive user experience, while the wrong choice can make your email difficult to read, confusing, or even frustrating for the recipient.
In this guide, we’ll help you choose the best fonts for your email campaigns by considering key factors such as tone, legibility, and compatibility. We'll explore how to select the best font for email that complements your email's purpose, ensures readability across different screen sizes, and remains consistent across email platforms.
Which is the best font for your email?
You might be wondering which is the best font for your emails. Well, there is no one best font for email. The question should be: what makes a good font for email? There are a few important things to consider. But first, something far more important is at play here – email client compatibility.
You must know that not all fonts will render correctly in emails.
Not all fonts will display correctly in emails, because not every email client supports every font. If you choose a font that isn't compatible with the recipient's email client, it will default to a fallback font instead. This can significantly impact the visual appeal of your email, weakening its design and overall user experience. If the email looks unprofessional or hard to read, the recipient might ignore it, unsubscribe, or even mark it as spam.
Based on this compatibility behavior, fonts are classified into three main categories: email-safe, web-safe, and system fonts (including both system and web fonts).
Difference between email-safe vs web-safe fonts
Both email and web-safe fonts will render correctly across most devices, browsers, and clients. However, there are subtle differences between the two.
Email-safe fonts are pre-installed on an email recipient's device, and the chances of it not rendering in an email are very low.
On the contrary, web-safe fonts are installed on operating systems, but there’s a higher chance that the font may not render properly if the recipient’s device doesn’t support it.
Listed below are the differences between email-safe and web-safe fonts:
| Aspect | Email-safe fonts | Web-safe fonts |
|---|---|---|
| Compatibility | Fully compatible with most email clients, including Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail. Rarely causes issues with email rendering, even on mobile devices. | Primarily compatible with web browsers but may not be supported in email clients. May cause issues with email rendering, especially if a non-supported font is used. |
| Usage | Ideal for email marketing and transactional emails to ensure uniformity across devices and platforms. | Best used for websites or online content where consistent display across browsers is required. |
| Fallback font | Typically includes a fallback font to ensure readability if the preferred font isn't available. | May need to rely on generic fallback fonts (e.g., sans-serif or serif) if the font is unsupported in an email client. |
| Customization | Limited customization; tends to focus on widely available, legible fonts. | Offers more flexibility for designers, allowing for more varied font choices, especially on websites. |
Below is a list of examples of both email-safe and web-safe fonts:
| Email-safe fonts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Arial | Times New Roman | Georgia |
| Verdana | Courier New | Times |
| Lucida | Trebuchet MS | Sans Serif |
| Web-safe fonts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helvetica | Trebuchet MS | Comic Sans MS | Palatino Linotype | Impact |
| Lucida Console | Lucida Grande | Calibri | Constantia | Corbel |
| Arial Narrow | Terminal | Century Gothic | Papyrus | Book Antiqua |
| Cambria | Candara | Consolas | Arial Black | Arial MT Condensed Light |
| Franklin Gothic Medium | French Script MT | Segoe UI | Segoe Print | Sylfaen |
So, which is more reliable?
Web-safe fonts are good, but having an email-safe font is the best option and the most reliable one.
How to choose the best font for your email
Choosing the right font for your email is more than just picking something that looks good—it plays a critical role in the readability, tone, and overall effectiveness of your message. A poorly chosen font can lead to readability issues, disrupt the design, and even cause technical problems in different email clients.
To avoid these pitfalls, it’s essential to consider multiple factors, including the tone of your message, the legibility across devices, and compatibility with various email clients.
1. Use only email-safe fonts
As mentioned, email-safe fonts like Arial, Times New Roman, and Verdana are your best bet when choosing an email font. Web fonts are a good choice, too. However, we recommend choosing email-safe fonts since they render perfectly on most email clients.
2. Understand the tone and structure of the font
When a user reads your email content, you may want to reflect a certain mood or tone. The font you have chosen must match the tone, behavior, or feelings your brand is trying to convey. This is what we call font psychology.
For example, if your brand is modern and targets a younger audience, you can use fonts like Roboto or Verdana. However, if you use risky and unprofessional fonts, such as Comic Sans MS, which has a child-like and imbalanced stroke, your email might be mistaken for a scam or fraudulent one.
It would also help if you understood some primary font families. A font family is a group of typefaces that share a similar style but differ in stroke width, letter shapes, and overall appearance. For your body copy, you can use these basic font families:
- Serif fonts: These fonts are characterized by small lines, called serifs, at the end of each letter stroke. They often provide a more traditional and formal appearance and are usually used in print media.
- Sans serif fonts: These fonts lack serifs and have a clean, modern appearance. They are often used for email body text and are considered more readable on mobile devices and desktops.
- Decorative fonts: These fonts include many styles with high expression and lesser readability. They include monospaced, cursive, fantasy, and script fonts.
Here's a visual representation of these three types of fonts:
3. Consider the readability and accessibility of the font
Consider the attention span of the user to be very, very less. If the email font you have chosen isn't readable or easy to read and understand, it will increase the reading time and decrease the user's interest. So, you must choose a simple font that doesn't require much effort to understand. Moreover, people with visual impairments might have an issue reading your emails, so you must avoid choosing fonts with letters or lines that are tightly closed.
Fonts like Arial and Times New Roman are easy to read; however, if you use an intricate font like Pacifico, it can take a user a lot of time to figure out what's written in the email, and they might leave without reading it. This can lead to a loss of potential engagement and conversion.
Source: Kinsta
Framework to choose the best email font
We have analyzed and added font tone, type, and common email use cases. You can use the table below to pick the best font for your brand based on your requirements. We have also added a detailed analysis of each font in the guide below:
| Name of the Font | Tone | Type | Email Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arial | Contemporary and legible | Sans serif typeface | Email body text |
| Times New Roman | Formal, authoritative, and professional | Serif typeface | Email body text or paragraphs for readability |
| Helvetica | Neutral, clean, and modern | Sans serif typeface | Email headings and visuals requiring text |
| Verdana | Friendly, open, and simple | Sans serif typeface | Email headings, visuals requiring text, and long-form content |
| Georgia | Elegant, warm, and classic | Serif typeface | Email newsletters and content with a lot of text |
| Lucida | Clear, legible, and friendly | Sans serif typeface | Wide range of texts including tables, forms, memos, etc. |
| Trebuchet MS | Modern, informal, and approachable | Sans serif typeface | Body texts, headings, subheadings, and CTA |
7 best fonts for email you should be using
Here is a detailed analysis of best email fonts you can use for your email marketing campaigns:
1. Arial
Arial is one of the most contemporary fonts for both digital and print media. It is clear and readable, making it an excellent choice for email communication. Arial can also be used for text settings in reports, presentations, magazines, emails, and print media like newspapers, ads, and promotions.
Type: Sans serif font
Tone: Modern and legible
Why use this font: Its versatility and clean look make it a good choice for emails.
Email use case: Use it as your email body text.
When to avoid: You may want to avoid it if you are trying to stand out, as it can be bland.
Email friendliness: Email and web-safe
2. Times New Roman
Times New Roman is a well-known choice for professional email communication. It has a traditional look and can seem fancy. However, it has a professional use case in most industries and can be used in emails. Times New Roman is commonly and popularly used for print media like books and newspapers.
Type: Serif font
Tone: Formal, authoritative, and professional
Why use this font: Its distinct letterforms make it clear and readable, making it a good choice for long-form content.
Email use case: Use it as your email body text or paragraphs for better readability. It is a great professional font for email and can help you stand out simultaneously. Tip: use it with trendy visuals to show a beautiful comparison of new and old.
When to avoid: You may want to avoid it in high-impact visuals and with modern and contemporary designs.
Email friendliness: Email-safe font
3. Georgia
Georgia is one of the most popular fonts with a dignified look, similar to New Times Roman. It gives off a sense of friendliness and intimacy, so you can use it accordingly in emails. It is commonly used in online newspapers, magazines, etc.
Tone: Elegant, warm and classic
Why use this font: Combines readability with a touch of sophistication and decoration.
Email use case: Georgia was designed to be clear and readable on screen, even in small font sizes. It is a great email newsletter font and provides a refined look with long-form content. It is also considered the best font for an email signature.
When to avoid: It may be best avoided in ultra-modern or minimalist designs, where a sans-serif font might be a better font choice.
4. Helvetica
Helvetica is one of the most modern and contemporary fonts. It is simple and readable, does not use decorative elements, has no emotion, and represents information very clearly.
Tone: Neutral, clean and modern
Why use this font: It is one of the most versatile fonts used in branding and logos because of its bold and contemporary look.
Email use case: You can use this font for your email headings and visuals that require text.
When to avoid: Do not use it for email copy because the letters are spaced too close together and may cause readability issues for such a large amount of email text. Also, avoid it if you want to showcase a strong personality and character.
Email friendliness: Web-safe font
5. Verdana
Verdana is a simple, versatile font known for its good readability. Unlike Helvetica, Verdana font has loose letter spacing and was designed to be read on low-resolution and small screens. This makes it a great font for all age groups, so it is a great choice if you have an old target audience.
Tone: Friendly, open and simple
Why use this font: Designed for on-screen readability, making it an excellent choice for digital content.
Email use case: This font can be used for email headings and visuals that require text. It can also be similarly used for long-form content like paragraphs and descriptions.
When to avoid: You may want to avoid it in formal or traditional contexts where a more classic font is preferred, like Times New Roman.
6. Lucida
Lucida is another modern and friendly font that works well in the digital world. The letters in this font are spaced wide, making them easily readable.
Tone: Clear, legible and friendly
Why use this font: Made for on-screen use like user interfaces and presentations, and also for printed materials like brochures and other educational materials.
Email use case: Lucida can be used for a wide range of texts, including tables, forms, memos, manuals, headers, titles, posters, and displays in your emails. It is also a good choice for email copy because of its professional and simple look.
When to avoid: Do not use this font for highly professional documents or where you have expressive, artistic, or highly creative content.
Compatibility: Email and web-safe font
7. Trebuchet MS
Trebuchet MS is an artistic yet good web font. Although it has subtle curves, it is still quite readable on screen and is well-suited for web page design. Like Verdana and Georgia, it was made for screens.
Type: Sans serif typeface
Tone: Modern, informal and approachable
Why use this font: It balances readability with a contemporary feel, making it a good choice for email messages.
Email use case: This font has a good readability score, so you can use it for body texts, headings, subheadings, and CTAs in your emails.
When to avoid: Avoid using this font in formal or conservative texts.
Email friendliness: Email and web-safe font
💡Recommended font size: 14px-18px and headline between 20-36px
So, these were some fonts that you can use in your emails.
What happens when your web-safe font fails to render?
Even though web-safe fonts are designed to be compatible across most email clients and devices, there's always a small chance that they might not render correctly. When this happens, Mailmodo (and most email platforms) automatically substitutes the font with a fallback version. These fallback fonts ensure that your email remains readable and visually appealing, even if the preferred font isn't supported by the recipient’s email client.
Below is a list of common web-safe fonts and their fallback options, so you can better understand what happens when your chosen font doesn’t render as expected.
| Web-safe Fonts | Fallback 1 | Fallback 2 | Fallback 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helvetica | Sans-serif | - | - |
| Trebuchet | Sans-serif | - | - |
| Comic Sans MS | Arial | Sans-serif | - |
| Palatino Linotype | Serif | - | - |
| Impact | Sans-serif | - | - |
| Lucida Console | Monospace | - | - |
| Lucida Grande | Lucida sans Unicode | Helvetica | Sans-serif |
| Calibri | Helvetica | Arial | Sans-serif |
| Arial Black | Sans-serif | - | - |
| Arial MT Condensed Light | Arial | Sans-serif | - |
| Arial Narrow | Arial | Sans-serif | - |
| Terminal | Monospace | - | - |
| Century Gothic | Helvetica | Arial | Sans-serif |
| Papyrus | Verdana | Helvetica | Sans-serif |
| Book Antiqua | Georgia | Serif | - |
| Cambria | Georgia | Times New Roman | Serif |
| Candara | Trebuchet MS | Arial | Sans-serif |
| Consolas | Lucida Console | Courier | Monospace |
| Constantia | Times New Roman | Serif | - |
| Corbel | Verdana | Arial | Sans-serif |
| Franklin Gothic Medium | Arial | Helvetica | Sans-serif |
| French Script MT | Times New Roman | Serif | - |
| Segoe UI | Tahoma | Sans-serif | - |
| Segoe Print | Arial | Sans-serif | - |
| Sylfaen | Times New Roman | Serif | - |
What if I want to use aesthetic email fonts?
We get it—sometimes the standard email-safe or web-safe fonts just don't capture the unique, aesthetic vibe you're going for. You may want something more visually striking to make your emails stand out and align with your brand's personality. However, while aesthetics are important, accessibility and compatibility must still be prioritized to ensure your message reaches your audience without issues.
So, what’s the solution?
If you’re eager to use a more visually appealing font but don’t want to compromise on compatibility, here’s a simple hack: Use images to incorporate your brand’s custom fonts and design elements.
Here’s how it works:
- Stick with email-safe or web-safe fonts for the body text of your emails to ensure accessibility across all devices and clients.
- For the more aesthetic and unique fonts that align with your brand’s identity, embed them in images within the email. This way, you can still use your custom fonts or creative typography without worrying about whether they'll render correctly in email clients.
For example, True Grit Texture Supply does an excellent job of enhancing their emails with stunning visuals and typography. By using eye-catching images that showcase their fonts and creative elements, they maintain a distinctive look and feel, while still keeping the rest of the email content legible and accessible.
This approach allows you to balance design with functionality, ensuring that your emails are both beautiful and effective.
Again, even if you are using these fonts in the images, it is highly recommended that the font is readable and looks pleasing to the eyes.
❗Attention: Although this hack is a good way to use peculiar email fonts, we do not recommend adding them. Here's why:
- If you add a lot of images, it may take longer to load the email.
- Image may increase the size of the email, which may cause your email to land in the spam folder.
- Avoid using a single image as your entire email. Many email clients block images by default, which can prevent your message from being seen.
Experiment with email fonts on Mailmodo
At Mailmodo, we prioritize ensuring your emails look great across all devices and clients. That’s why we provide only web-safe and email-safe fonts—guaranteeing consistent rendering in most email platforms. Sign up now and explore how these reliable fonts can elevate your next email campaign.
