Last year I attended a very interesting communications workshop conducted by Tom Ahern entitled "Love Thy Reader - The Science & Secrets of Effective Nonprofit Communications." Ahern was a dynamic speaker who offered a lot of practical advice, including discussion of serif fonts versus sans-serif fonts. (Serif fonts were determined to be easier to read in print, and thus more effective, with scientific studies to back up this belief. As Hugh Fraser points out, sans-serif fonts were said to be easier to read on a computer screen.)
Ahern has a lot of good information on his Web site, including an e-newsletter that’s worth checking out. If you ever get the opportunity to attend one of his workshops, I highly recommend it. Although the seminar I attended was geared toward those working in non-profit, the principles discussed apply to all professional communicators.
Perhaps it’s worth adding that sans-serif fonts such as Veranda used on this page are usually thought to be easier to read on a a web page, while serif is better for print.
Good point. We actually discussed that at the workshop. I’ll amend my original post to clarify I’m referring to print communications and not materials viewed on a computer screen. Thanks for the input!