Typography and learning design

Typography is a crucial element in learning design, significantly affecting how learners perceive and process information. Effective typography enhances readability, comprehension, and engagement with educational content. This guide delves into the principles of typography within the context of learning design, offering practical tips for creating visually appealing and pedagogically sound materials.

In many Learning Management Systems (LMSs), designers face limitations regarding font choices, formatting options, and overall design flexibility. Despite these constraints, understanding and applying fundamental typographic principles can greatly improve the learning experience. This guide aims to help learning designers make the most of the available tools, ensuring their content is both professional and educationally effective.

By incorporating typographic best practices, even within the limitations of LMSs, educators can create accessible and engaging materials that support diverse learner needs. Whether working on online platforms, printed resources, or multimedia presentations, mastering typography is essential for delivering high-quality education.

Headings

Headings play a crucial role in structuring content, making it more readable, accessible, and professional. This guide provides comprehensive instructions on the use of headings, including their importance, hierarchical order, and formatting conventions.

Why use headings?

Headings break the content into sections, slow reading, and help the reader track how ideas are connected. They refresh the eyes and improve readability, especially in online courses where readers scan for information.

Key benefits:

Tips:

Heading levels in iQualify?

iQualify supports two heading levels plus the page title style <h1>.

The iformat plugin provides access to a 3rd heading level <h4>.

If additional levels are needed:

Importance of using headings in order

Maintaining a logical and hierarchical order of headings is essential for several reasons:

  1. Readability and structure:

    • Organisational clarity: Provides a clear structure, making it easier for readers to follow.
    • Logical flow: Ensures a logical progression of ideas.
  2. Accessibility:

    • Screen readers: Assistive technologies rely on the hierarchical structure of headings for navigation.
    • Search engines: Improve SEO by helping search engines understand the structure.
  3. Consistency and professionalism:

    • Uniform appearance: Maintains a professional and uniform layout.
    • User expectation: Meets reader expectations for content structure.
  4. Editing and maintenance:

    • Ease of updates: Simplifies editing and updating content.

Best practices for using headings

iQualify's heading 2 is enormous, and is visually stronger than the page title, which does make it unappealing to use.   

Writing and formatting headings

Write headings that describe what follows. Use short and lively phrases.

Formatting rules:

Bullets and lists

Bullets and lists are powerful tools in learning design, helping to organise information, emphasise key points, and improve readability. This guide provides best practices for using bullets and lists effectively in educational content, ensuring that they enhance the learning experience without causing confusion or clutter.

Types of lists

Best practices for using bullets and lists

Clarity and simplicity
Hierarchical structure
Context and relevance

Examples

Bulleted list example

Benefits of using headings:

Numbered list example

Steps to format a document:

  1. Open the document in your word processor.
  2. Select the appropriate template.
  3. Apply the desired styles and formatting.
  4. Review and proofread the content.
  5. Save and export the final version.

Common pitfalls to avoid


Revision #10
Created 14 May 2024 23:53:33 by Chester Whitwell
Updated 16 July 2025 21:40:27 by Chester Whitwell