Text in all caps?

[kat.hayes]

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.

 

[wbeasley]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.