Making sustainable font choices in digital design

Digital sustainability is increasingly important as the internet's energy consumption continues to grow, with the internet using 800 terawatt-hours in 2022. Designers can contribute to reducing this energy usage by implementing sustainable web practices, such as choosing sustainable fonts. These fonts, which can be system, web, or custom, influence a website's carbon footprint, performance, and user experience. System fonts are pre-installed on devices, making them more energy-efficient, while variable fonts consolidate multiple styles into a single file, reducing energy consumption despite limited browser support. Legibility is also crucial, as minimal and distinct fonts improve accessibility and sustainability. Sustainable fonts enhance performance by enabling faster page loads, optimizing visual hierarchy, and improving accessibility, leading to a better user experience. Tools like Font Squirrel and Google Lighthouse help in selecting and assessing the performance of sustainable fonts. Beyond fonts, other sustainable web practices include optimizing navigation, reducing image sizes, removing unnecessary content, and offering dark mode to further minimize a website's environmental impact.