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kat.hayes

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 10, 2011
1,404
48
I know that generally, it is difficult to read text in all caps, however, I notice that often times small amounts of text will appear in all caps like the sample attached (which happens to be a button). Is there some general graphic design rule for when to and to not use all caps?

Thanks.
 

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wbeasley

macrumors 65816
Nov 23, 2007
1,115
1,303
fine for buttons... usually

so long as it fits in with the feel of the site. choosing a nice readable font is probably an even better decision. and well contrasted colours.

just don't use a SCRIPT font for all caps (and you do, scarily, see that sometimes - even from run-from-home marketing companies which is usually a good sign you wouldn't want to deal with them!)

ask people you trust how the text looks to them. they might give you a clue what users would think.
 

citizenzen

macrumors 68000
Mar 22, 2010
1,543
11,786
Is there some general graphic design rule for when to and to not use all caps?

I don't boil it down to a general rule, but I'm always interested in visual hierarchy and contrast. If word needs to jump out, then sometimes choosing all caps is appropriate. It all depends on the application.
 

Moonjumper

macrumors 68030
Jun 20, 2009
2,740
2,908
Lincoln, UK
I don't think there are any hard and fast rules, but I tend to restrict all caps to titles or buttons. Even then I look at other options first such as text size, positioning, bold, and colour first.

Context is all important. But be consistent within a piece of work.
 

burne

macrumors 6502
Jul 4, 2007
302
43
Haarlem, the Netherlands
Is there some general graphic design rule for when to and to not use all caps?

I'd say that a single word or perhaps two words in all caps will be the limit.

SUMMER SALE

stands out, perhaps not in a nice way, but you want exposure.

A SENTENCE IN ALL CAPS WILL BE HARDER TO READ, and thus scare people away from your message.

(looking at the communications-perspective, not the design-perspective..)
 

Arelunde

macrumors 6502a
Jul 6, 2011
980
28
CA Central Coast
Generally, caps and lower case words are the easiest to read - even from a distance where you can't really see the letters. All caps for emphasis works for me, but only in small doses and a very clear, easy-to-read type style.
 

SwiftLives

macrumors 65816
Dec 7, 2001
1,356
341
Charleston, SC
A more pragmatic reason is if you have a very small vertical space/height and don't want to fool with ascenders and descenders. And it's a short word.
 
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