Best Fonts and Colors for Video Text on Mobile
Most short videos are watched on a phone, often in bright light and often for just a few seconds. Text that is hard to read gets ignored. These guidelines help you make your text clear and attractive.
Readability comes first
Pick a bold, simple typeface with clear letter shapes. Thin or decorative fonts can look elegant on a large screen but become blurry on a small one. Heavy serif fonts also work well for a newspaper look, as long as they are large enough.
Size
As a rule, the main text should be readable from arm's length without squinting. In a 9:16 video, a short phrase should fill a good portion of the screen width. If you need to shrink the text to make it fit, shorten the phrase instead.
Contrast
High contrast is the most important factor. Dark text on a light background, or light text on a dark one, is easy to read. Avoid mid-tone combinations such as grey on beige. Test your video on a phone at low brightness to see whether the text remains clear.
Highlight colours
A highlight draws the eye to one word. Some reliable choices:
- Yellow: classic marker look, high visibility on dark or light text.
- Pink: modern and playful, good for lifestyle and beauty content.
- Green: fresh and positive, suits money, health and growth topics.
- Blue: calm and trustworthy, fits tech and education.
- Orange: energetic, suits fitness and food.
Consistency builds recognition
Using the same font style and highlight colour across your videos helps viewers recognise your content immediately. Choose one combination and keep it for a while before changing.
Other languages and right to left text
If you write in Arabic, Hebrew or another right to left language, check that the line reads correctly and that the highlight sits around the intended word. Our maker lays out right to left text properly, but always preview the result before posting.
Accessibility
- Avoid relying on colour alone to show meaning.
- Do not use red text on green backgrounds, or the reverse, as many people cannot tell them apart.
- Keep flashing speeds moderate. Very rapid changes can be uncomfortable for some viewers.
A quick test
Hold your phone at arm's length, lower the brightness and play the clip. If you can read the highlighted word immediately, your choices are good. If not, increase the contrast or reduce the amount of text.