Whether you are designing a logo for your brand-new business or creating material for your established brand; typography and choice of font may seem like a small factor to consider, but in reality, it can potentially make-or-break how the outcome of your project is perceived by your audience.
So what is typography?
To put it simply, it is the way in which words are situated on a page; how big they are, the style, the spacing and the choice of fonts etc, etc. Although many will say that it’s ‘just words’, it’s almost crazy how it can turn a design from flat to innovative when it’s done correctly.
The psychology behind typography is a real thing to consider when discovering your brands identity and creating assets. Implementing a hierarchy of fonts, sizes and weights to guide the eye, choosing a style that coincides with your target audience and staying true to your brands ‘look and feel’ are all factors that play a part in delivering your message effectively, yet pack a punch when it’s received.
If you are familiar with design at all, you would know the running joke about ‘comic sans’. Not that the font is necessarily ‘bad’ but more so that it is so overused, that you can almost hear every creative in a 20km radius cringe when it is mentioned.
This is a great example of how gaining some basic typography knowledge before concreting your choices can really help your designs. No one wants their work to seem amateur or ‘cringy’.
We’ve got you covered – here are the basics.
Font hierarchy
This technique is used to pull the readers attention in a certain direction. By having the most important wording the biggest, it is the first thing that is read on a page (or screen), followed by the smaller font and then the smaller again. This is a great way to grab your readers attention and have them read in order, as having everything the same size can cause it to jumble.
Choosing Fonts
A great place to start when deciding on fonts is to keep in mind the 3 principles of effective typography; simplicity, readability and consistency.
Your choice of font should be visually appealing and compliment the context without being overwhelming or unreadable. If you are stuck, take a look at similar projects online or browse font websites to see just how endless the possibilities are. This can also help you eliminate fronts that you really don’t like (and save time for your designer), while also minimising the chance of using a super common or basic style.
Also take into consideration your target audience. Font used for a corporate business logo probably won’t be used for Sally’s Local Florist cards.
Here is an example of how a choice of font can heavily influence how words are perceived. The words themselves are twins, but the fonts make them look like very distant cousins, 3 times removed.
Font variations
The unspoken rule is to keep the number of font choices between two and three per brand. This allows for consistency throughout and gives the ability to distinguish between header and body copy easily.
In essence, choosing fonts and utilising creative typography should be exciting and effective. It provides an opportunity to speak your business’ tone of voice through a medium that isn’t imagery and can really amp up the message you are trying to deliver. Have fun with it!
