Font Tags — Why Web Designers Should Ban Their Use
If you have a web design business and are still using “FONT” tags in your HTML, you are using an old technology. Here is why it is time to swap those tags into using a style sheet instead.
Font tags indicate an outdated website. Your client is paying you to build a website assuming you will be using the most current code and technology. Using FONT tags indicates that you have not mastered the use of style sheets or are just using old technology because of old habits.
Just remember that you are not taking good care of your clients if you are using outdated coding. That will ultimately come back to bite you when your competitor starts talking with your client about your use of old code. Getting familiar with cascading styles is not very difficult and once you do so, you will understand why it is so powerful.
If you still use FONT tags instead of using styles, you might question why you should change to CSS just because it is newer. There are other benefits to moving up to style sheets. For example, changing the appearance of a website that uses FONT tags instead of styles can take a substantial amount of time.
If your client prefers Arial font this year rather than Times New Roman (for example), with a style sheet, you can simply swap one or two lines and the entire web site is updated. If a site is riddled with FONT tags, you will need to change each individual tag to make that change. Then if your client decides they would rather see what Verdana looks like instead, you will need to repeat that entire process.
Modifying styles in a website should be a quick task. Let your client know that you can easily make the adjustment, let them ponder the change, and then if desired, continue to tweak it until it is just what the client wants. As a web design business pro, you shouldn’t be wasting your valuable time tinkering with old FONT tags (unless it is to get rid of them!). Become proficient at cascading style sheets and you can compete in the market as a professional for top dollar against the slow guys still using the old FONT tags.
Jim Smith wrote the business book, “How to Start a Home-Based Web Design Business“. He provides home-based web design-related articles and tips with more good info for web designers and aspiring web designers.