Technology Brings New Hope to Old Debate
From 1977’s A New Hope through The Empire Strikes Back, the Star Wars franchise leans heavily on sans-serif typography. The Jedi returned in 1983, along with a Times New Roman title font. As the State Department’s abrupt transition back to a serif font makes headlines, we are reminded of the inevitable. Even in 4 ABY, after mastering lightspeed and galactic governance, we will still be locked in the serif versus sans-serif debate.
What makes this especially interesting is that the debate is no longer purely aesthetic in some contexts. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) require the use of sans-serif fonts in specific situations, including signage and certain display screens, prioritizing clarity, legibility, and consistency over stylistic preference.
At the same time, accessibility guidance makes it clear that typeface choice is only one factor. Readability is more strongly affected by adequate color contrast, the ability to resize text without loss of functionality, avoiding images of text, supporting responsive reflow on smaller screens, and allowing flexible text spacing. A compliant font can still fail users if these fundamentals are not addressed. Keep the following best practices in mind when creating content to be read on screens.
Color Is Not Enough
Do not rely on color alone to convey meaning. Use text labels, icons, or symbols in addition to color.
Sufficient Contrast
Ensure strong contrast between text and background.
• Standard text: 4.5:1 minimum
• Large text and icons: 3:1 minimum
This best practice applies to text on images and gradients.
Resizable Text
Text must be readable when resized up to 200% without loss of content or functionality.
Avoid Images of Text
Use real text whenever possible. Images of text limit user control and degrade when magnified.
Responsive Reflow (WCAG 2.1 AA)
Content should adapt to smaller screens and magnification without requiring horizontal scrolling.
Flexible Text Spacing (WCAG 2.1 AA)
Content should remain usable when users adjust line, word, letter, or paragraph spacing.
So while Return of the Jedi may imply a future still debating fonts, accessibility standards point to a more practical concern. The issue is not serif versus sans serif, but whether text can be read effectively across contexts, devices, and user needs.
If you’ve already designed your content, use tools to help check your work. Google Lighthouse is an automated web auditing tool that evaluates accessibility, performance, and readability factors like contrast, text scaling, and layout behavior, making it a practical way to move the font debate from aesthetic preference to measurable, user-centered outcomes. WAVE is an accessibility evaluation tool that identifies WCAG errors and usability issues while supporting human review, helping authors focus on problems that directly impact real users and understand how to fix them.
For the everyday office worker creating PowerPoint slides, one-pagers, or flyers, this all means focusing less on picking the “right” font and more on whether the content actually works for the audience viewing it. Clear contrast, text that can be resized, real text instead of images, and layouts that hold up on different screens matter far more than serif or sans serif choices alone. Using built-in tools like the Microsoft 365 Accessibility Checker can help catch common issues early and ensure materials are readable, usable, and appropriate for a wide range of viewers.