Blog Design Series #1 — About Centered Text

“Right and wrong do not exist in graphic design. ;There is only effective and non-effective communication.”
— Peter Bilak - Illegibility

One thing I have noticed about some blogs is the tendency to use centered body text. I find those blogs extremely hard to read and would like to offer some “rules” from my years in the printing industry.

These are from About.com.

Centered text:

• Lends a formal appearance to text, which is why it is often used in formal wedding invitations, certificates and on plaques.
• Is generally harder to read longs and multiple paragraphs of centered text.
• Works best with fairly short lines and extra leading (space between lines of text).
• Centered headlines work best over body test that is fully-justified.
• Is harder to read because the starting position of each lines changes, forcing the reader to work harder to find where each line begins to continue reading.
• For large blocks of text, try to avoid centered text.
• Numbered and bulleted lists should almost always be left-aligned to aid in quickly scanning the list.
• Save centering for invitations, greeting cards and certificates.
• Even recipes are easier to follow if they are not centered.

The Bottom Line: There is no right and wrong way to align text. Use the alignment that makes the most sense for the design and that effectively communicates your message.

However, for most body copy situations, avoid centered text.