: Buttons (text or images) I would like to know if I should create CSS buttons or image buttons for my site. What is better? Problem is that the text is formatted with Helvetica Neue ( I like

@Ogunnowo487

Actually, Linotype does offer a Neue Helvetica font that's licensed for web use.

Web-safe Alternatives

But if you don't want to pay for the web license, the obvious web-safe alternatives to Helvetica Neue are Helvetica and Arial. If you simply use sans-serif, it'll default to the user's platform's default sans serif font, which is typically:


Helvetica for Mac
Arial for Windows
Droid or Roboto for Android
Deja Vu, Bitstream Vera Sans, or Arial (if MS fonts have been installed) for *nix


For *nix users, you'll probably want to specify Arial or Bitstream Vera Sans to get a more perceptually similar Helvetica analog than the default sans serif font many *nix OSes use (e.g. Deja Vu).

FOSS Fonts

Alternatively, you can embed these free open source fonts:

Liberation Sans


Open source alternative to Helvetica and Arial
Part of the greater Liberation Fonts family of GPL-2-licensed fonts sponsored by Red Hat
Available in both .sfd source files and ready-to-use .ttf binaries in the Liberation™ Fonts collection here from the Fedora Project


Arimo


SIL Open Font License (OFL) webfont-ready typeface
Design by Ascender Fonts to look like Arial
Available as a webfont on Google Web Fonts, Typekit, etc. and as a TrueType Font on FontSquirrel


FreeSans


GNU licensed and webfont-ready Helvetica / Arial replacement
part off the Free UCS Outline Fonts donated by URW++ Design & Development
Available in .woff, .otf, and .ttf binaries, as well as .sfd source by direct FTP or from the GNU Free Fonts and Free UCS Outline Fonts sites


I generally prefer to use CSS/text buttons whenever possible, as it's more semantically correct, requires less bandwidth, and is less work. However, if you make an image button and use proper accessibility techniques (alt text or a screen-reader-accessible text label), then it should be alright as well. It just depends on how much work you're willing to do for the perceived extra aesthetic benefit.

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