Why Justified Text Might Not Always Be the Best Choice

The Importance of Readability

Justified text is often used in design to create a clean and organized look. However, it's important to consider whether this choice is the best for readability, which is essential to ensure that your audience can easily comprehend the content. While justified text can create a neat and formal appearance, it can also result in uneven spacing between words, which can make it difficult for readers to follow along smoothly. In some cases, this can even cause frustration and make readers skip over content, defeating the purpose of the text altogether.

The Challenge of Line Length

The challenge of line length is one of the main drawbacks of justified text. Justified text is aligned to both the left and right margins, which creates uneven spacing between words, referred to as 'rivers' or 'holes.' This can become more pronounced when the line length is longer, which can make it harder for readers to track the text and stay focused.

The Effect of Punctuation and Spacing

Proper punctuation and spacing play an important role in the legibility of text. When using justified text, the natural spaces between words are stretched or compressed to create a clean and even edge. However, this can sometimes result in excessive white space between words, making the text more difficult to read. Additionally, poor punctuation can disrupt the flow of the text and make it harder to understand. It's important to strike a balance between clean formatting and legibility when choosing a text justification style.

The Impact on Skimming and Scanning

When it comes to reading online, skimming and scanning are common techniques that many people use to quickly find the information they need. However, justified text - where words are spaced out to create straight edges on both sides of a block of text - can actually hinder this process. This is because the spaces between words can be inconsistent, causing the eye to jump around and making it harder to read quickly. As a result, it may be better to use left-aligned text for online content instead.

The Role of Design in Justifying Text

When it comes to designing text on a page, one important consideration is how the text is justified. Justified text, which aligns both the left and right edges, can create a clean and professional look, but it may not always be the best choice. Designers need to carefully consider the context of the text and the overall design goals when deciding how to justify the text on a page.