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Whenever I'm designing a website I usually choose my font sizes on intuition. However I would like to start using typographic scales in my designs to create more consistency throughout all pages. But I feel they're rather constraining then helping me.

For example my Home page has a lot of different headings so I use a lot of different font sizes. I have created a scale that suits this page for the most parts. But when I'm designing the Single Post page which is just one column with many paragraphs of text I like to use a font size which is off this scale.

I have tried creating a scale for my Home page and then adjust the Single page to this scale and vice versa but there are always items which are too small or too big to my taste.

So how strictly do you have to apply typographic scales in your designs? How do you use a scale which fits the needs of different kind of pages?

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Look, if your aim is to be more consistent. Then you need to be consistent, yes this means you stick to whatever rules you have set out.

If on the otherhand you feel that you dont need consistency then by all means use whatever size you feel appropriate. If this works for your users (it is not about you) then no problem. You simply can not have both ways.

At the end of the day it is about categorisation for easier scanning. Having random categories is fine if you have nothing to say. But once you do it becomes a problem.

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  • I thought maybe there were some practical guides when you can deviate from a scale. The point is when I analyse some web designs I like, they turn out to use no typographic scale at all, while communicating a clear story. However your comment made me decide to stick to my scale.
    – ferencvandervelde
    Oct 5, 2019 at 9:03
  • @ferencvandervelde historically there was only a few sizes of type available, so going of the set would mean puchasing new font sets to your size. But turns out humans like consistency and predictability. Also having some arithmetic relationship helps too. Anyway beond those needs if it works it works.
    – joojaa
    Oct 5, 2019 at 10:17

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