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Writer's pictureJD Solomon

How Font X-height Improves Your Business Presentations and Reports


Calibri, Aptos, Arial, and Helvetica are smart choices for business presentations and reports

The first big decision for font selection is whether to use a serif or sans-serif classification. The second big decision is whether to use a high, medium, or low x-height. This tip takes on the question of x-height when it comes to creating documents that are accessible and understandable.


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The x-height is the distance between the baseline and the average line of lowercase letters. This is usually the height of the letter x in the font and the letters v, w, and z. One of the most important dimensions of a font, x-height defines how high lowercase letters without ascenders are compared to the cap height of uppercase letters.


Medium X-height (Sans-Serif)

Calibri, Aptos, and Montserrat are the go-to sans-serif fonts with medium x-heights. All three strike a balance between aesthetics and readability. Each can be used equally well in text and headings.


High X-height (Sans-Serif)

Arial, Helvetica, and Open Sans are more legible at smaller sizes, such as captions that are often one or two points smaller than the surrounding body text. Helvetica is also a go-to text as white text on a dark background.


Low X-height (Sans-Serif)

Avant Garde, Bauhaus, and some Univers have low x-heights, which are most appropriate for large headlines and display text. The rule of thumb is not to use low x-height fonts for business presentations and reports.


Improving Accessibility and Understanding with X-height

The first big decision for font selection is to use a sans-serif font. Next, pick a font with a medium or high x-height. Calibri, Aptos, Arial, and Helvetica are smart choices for business presentations and reports. Stay tuned for a future tip that will provide my three favorite, lesser-known fonts that provide power while providing accessibility.


 

JD Solomon is the founder of JD Solomon, Inc., the creator of the FINESSE fishbone diagram®, and the co-creator of the SOAP criticality method©. He is the author of Communicating Reliability, Risk & Resiliency to Decision Makers: How to Get Your Boss’s Boss to Understand and Facilitating with FINESSE: A Guide to Successful Business Solutions.

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