Go for readability every time
Writing for the web is not just about the words; it is also about readability. Headings and subheadings break up your page and help people to skim read to find information of interest to them. So what is the best case style for headings on the web?
I get blank looks
My question “Do you want use Sentence Case or Leading Caps (or heaven forbid, All Caps)?” usually needs an explanation. I get blank looks when I ask clients what sort of case they want to use for their page titles, headings and subheadings on their websites.
Each have their own place. If you have had a brand developed for your business then that may dictate what you use.
First of all let’s explore what each of the options looks like.
This Is Leading Caps
Leading Caps is where the first letter of each word is capitalised. It can include the little joining words or not. It has a more formal tone and some say, more symmetry and visual prominence. However, it is easy to forget if you are captilising the joining words or not.
This is sentence case
Sentence case is normal typing with a capital at the beginning of the heading or phrase. It has a more casual tone, is considered more ‘friendly’ and is easier for consistency across a website.
THIS IS ALL CAPS
All Caps is where all the words are in capital letters. On the web it can be considered as ‘shouting’ and 90% of people find it harder to read. I really dislike ALL CAPS, but that is my own personal opinion.
A note from a dyslexic to all of you who absolutely love All Caps
I’m dyslexic and I read by patterns; the rectangular block that is an ALL CAPS heading gives me no pattern queues. Personally I read by recognising word shapes rather than individual letters, and all caps removes those shape cues entirely. For example:
A “y” and a “g” both tell me something because they come below the line and one is more “curly” than the other.
An “i” has a dot so I know it’s an “i” (can’t be a “j” because it doesn’t go below the line).
In a block of ALL CAPS it all just looks like lines to me and takes me ages to decipher. That’s my normal as a dyslexic:) (Don’t get me started about ‘left’ and ‘right - that’s another story.)
Which case style is best for your headings?
Your branding guidelines may well influence your choice. If the choice is up to you then think about your audience and what might be easiest for them to read quickly, decipher and understand.
Lowercase letters enable people to read by word units (small blocks), whereas capitals are understood at the individual letter level and therefore require more time to process.
Roughly 90% of people find All Caps text to be harder to read. All caps is read 9.5% to 19% more slowly than lowercase text during shorter reading periods; 13.9% for periods exceeding 20 minutes.
All caps consumes roughly a third more space, which means it greater attention is needed to get through the full length of a word or body of text than those in lowercase.
Sentence case and leading caps are read with about the same comprehension. However, you also need to think about how you want your text to be read.
Leading Caps gives a more formal tone and might be more suitable for professional or serious matters.
Sentence case gives a more casual tone and is more conversational.
(Reference: wpmudev.org/blog/styling-text-website-research/)
Decide on one style and stick with it throughout your website
Once you have made your decision, stick with it for all your website. Consistency is really important. As you can see from the mixed cases in the title above it can be jarring on the eye to have things change every heading.
