The Typography QA Checklist Every Agency Needs

You think you've nailed your typography. The client’s brand guide is followed to the letter. The font choices are consistent. Perfect.

None of that is wrong. But it’s incomplete.

The hard truth is that typography QA is more than just picking the right font and setting a size. It’s about the thousands of tiny details that, when missed, create friction, undermine credibility, and even lead to miscommunication. This is where most agencies trip up, leading to endless revision cycles and unhappy clients.

1. Baseline, Leading, and Kerning: The Unsung Heroes

This is where the rubber meets the road for readability and visual harmony. It’s not just about picking a typeface; it’s about how it *behaves* on the page.

Baseline Shift Nightmares

Is every character sitting precisely on the baseline? Even a slight deviation can make text look janky, especially in longer blocks or when mixing font weights.

Leading Less is More (Sometimes)

Leading, or line spacing, is crucial. Too tight, and text becomes a dense, unreadable block. Too loose, and it loses cohesion, feeling disconnected and airy.

• Check leading in various contexts: headlines, body copy, captions, lists.
• Ensure leading is consistent across similar text elements.
• Consider the x-height of the typeface; taller x-heights often need more leading.
• Test in different screen sizes and print layouts.

Kerning Calamities

Kerning is the space between specific letter pairs. Most fonts have built-in kerning pairs, but they aren’t always perfect, especially with custom layouts or less common characters.

• Pay special attention to pairs like ‘AV’, ‘WA’, ‘To’, ‘LT’.
• Look for awkward gaps or overlapping letters.
• This is especially important for headlines and display text where typography is a key visual element.

2. Hierarchy and Readability: Guiding the Eye

Typography’s primary job is to communicate. If your audience can’t easily scan and understand your content, you’ve failed. Typography QA must rigorously test this.

The Weight of Importance

Is the visual hierarchy clear? Can a user quickly identify the main headline, subheadings, body text, and calls to action?

• Are font weights (bold, regular, light) used consistently to denote importance?
• Is there enough contrast between different levels of text?
• Avoid using too many different weights or styles within a single block of content.

Size Matters (But Not Always How You Think)

Font size is a direct indicator of hierarchy. But it’s not just about making headlines bigger.

• Ensure body text is comfortably readable at its intended size. What’s readable on a 27-inch monitor might be tiny on a phone.
• Check that font sizes are scaled appropriately across different devices and breakpoints.
• Consider accessibility guidelines for minimum font sizes.

Contrast is King

This applies to both visual weight and color. Text must stand out from its background.

• Check for sufficient color contrast between text and background. Tools like the WebAIM Contrast Checker are essential.
• Ensure contrast remains adequate even in different lighting conditions or when colors are slightly desaturated.
• This is non-negotiable for accessibility, adhering to WCAG standards.

3. Consistency and Branding: The Silent Messengers

Typography is a core element of brand identity. Inconsistencies here erode trust and dilute the brand message.

The Brand Guide Bible (and Its Interpretation)

Does the final output strictly adhere to the client’s brand guidelines regarding typography?

• Font families specified?
• Specific weights and styles mandated?
• Size ranges or minimums/maximums?
• Color palettes for typography?
• Are these guidelines being applied consistently across all touchpoints?

Systematic Application

Beyond the brand guide, is there a consistent system for applying typography across the project?

• Are headings, subheadings, body copy, captions, and lists using the defined styles everywhere?
• Are interactive elements (buttons, links) styled clearly and consistently?
• Check for orphaned text (single words or short lines at the end of a paragraph or column).
• Check for widows (single words or short lines at the beginning of a new column or page).

4. Technical Typography: The Hidden Pitfalls

This is where the design meets the code, and often, where subtle issues creep in. These aren’t design choices; they’re functional errors.

Ligatures: Friend or Foe?

Ligatures are special characters that replace specific letter combinations (like ‘fi’ or ‘fl’) to improve aesthetics. Most modern fonts include them.

• Are ligatures enabled correctly in the design software and the final output (web/print)?
• Are there any unintended ligatures being formed?
• Consider if the client *wants* ligatures enabled. Some prefer the distinct letterforms.

Hyphenation and Justification

How text is justified and hyphenated can drastically affect readability.

• Avoid full justification for body copy on screens; it often creates rivers of white space and awkward hyphenation.
• If using hyphenation, ensure the rules are sensible and don't break words awkwardly.
• Check hyphenation settings in different languages if applicable.

Character Set and Glyphs

Does the typeface have all the characters needed? This is especially critical for international projects.

• Are special characters, symbols, or currency signs rendering correctly?
• Are accented characters (é, ü, ñ) displayed properly?
• Check for missing glyphs or incorrect substitutions.

5. Where Revue Fits In

Managing typography QA across multiple projects and clients is a logistical challenge. You need a system that brings clarity to the chaos.

Revue provides a centralized hub for all client feedback and revisions. This means your typography QA checklist isn't just a document; it's an actionable part of a transparent workflow.

When clients provide feedback directly on specific elements, you can track revisions, see exactly what changed, and ensure those typography details are addressed. No more hunting through endless email threads or Slack messages.

Visibility into the revision history ensures that approved styles remain approved and that stray edits don't reintroduce old typography problems. This helps maintain the integrity of your design system and the client’s brand.

Ultimately, Revue helps streamline the entire quality assurance process, making it easier to catch and fix those critical typography details before they impact the final delivery.

Final Thought

Typography is more than just aesthetics; it's a functional component of communication. Is your QA process treating it with the rigor it deserves? Or are you just checking boxes?