How fonts in emails work is something every brand should understand before hitting send. You've worked so hard on your branding, and font is a big element of this. Trust us, we know. It can change your whole look and feel, even before customers have had time to delve into your product.
Unfortunately, as beautiful as they are, fonts are tricky to master in email marketing. That gorgeous cursive print you chose, or that standout italic text. We love it as much as you do. But your email providers don't always share the sentiment. That's where web-safe fonts come in to save the day. Email by Design has broken down just why below.
First, what is a web-safe font?
Web-safe fonts
A web-safe font is a 'default' font found across all email providers and computers. Think Arial or Times New Roman. They're stock standard, easy to read and widely accessible, even on old devices.
Second, what is a system font?
System fonts
A system font is one you've uploaded into Klaviyo, either from fonts stored on your computer or downloaded from a server. You can see them clearly and beautifully, but not everyone can access them. Send an email using one and it either defaults to a web-safe font, or the format glitches and turns unreadable.
Why web-safe fonts are ideal
Because web-safe fonts are trusted and used widely, no matter when you send, what device you created it on, or where it's going, it's far more likely to render the way you want. Your email may be slightly less 'branded' without your specific font. But it means customers never miss the chance to hear from you. And if a custom font is an absolute necessity, we always recommend a fallback:
Instead of patching up errors on its own, the text shifts cleanly to a web-safe font. Your customers still get the message.
So can you use your custom fonts?
Yes, you can. The whole font debacle only comes into play with email HTML. In layman's terms, that's any content typed directly into Klaviyo: your body text, footer text and unsubscribe text. Text inside your images, though, is a completely different story. Because it's embedded into the imagery itself, it doesn't face the same risk of becoming illegible across different servers and systems:
Typed into Klaviyo, so it must render everywhere. Use a web-safe font.
Baked into the graphic, so it's safe from glitches. Use your brand font.
For the best results that still feel branded, use your brand fonts in images and default to web-safe fonts in HTML. That strikes the perfect balance and still lets you put your own spin on things.
The smallest details, like a web-safe font, often make the biggest difference to what your customer actually sees.
Let's get the
small details right.
The small details, like web-safe fonts, often make the biggest difference. We care about every one, so your customers get the best experience each time you email them. Ready to partner with a team that oversees the nitty gritty?
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