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Design Web Typography Laying Out Type for the Web Responsive Typography

2 Answers

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,184 Points

If you look for terms like "em vs rem" in a search engine, you'll discover there's a bit of controversy around this decision. One post I saw even had the amusing title of "CSS Unit Battle: EMs Vs. REMs…FIGHT!" :laughing:

They are both font-size relative units, but the essential difference is that ems are relative to the parent element, making them a more modular choice, and rems are relative to the document root, making them simpler if a bit more rigid to the design. It may take some experimentation and/or experience to get a sense for which you prefer in what situations. And it may not be the same as another developer.

Pixels (px) on the other hand, are not relative and are a good choice for dimensions of things that you don't want to change along with font sizes at all.

But there's rarely only one "right" choice. It's mostly a matter of considering what role the thing being sized has in the overall design, along with your own preferences. It's one of those things that should become more clear with a bit of experience and/or experimentation.

Jorge Vega
seal-mask
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree
Jorge Vega
Front End Web Development Techdegree Student 2,905 Points

Thank you Steven!

I do also think I need some more practice and experience to get more familiar with these units.

thanks a lot!

Cheers,

Jorge