A well-designed font can set the tone for your entire brand, make you appear more professional, trustworthy, or hip – and help you stand out from the competition. This article will explore the psychology of typography and discuss how fonts can be used to create a powerful branding strategy. Whether you’re a digital nomad or part of a large corporation, we will also provide tips on choosing the right font for your business.
What is Typography?
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point size, line length, leading (line spacing), letter-spacing (tracking), and adjusting the space within letter pairs (kerning).
Typefaces (or fonts) are an essential aspect of typography because they can change the feeling of a piece of writing. For example, a serif font such as Times New Roman is more traditional and formal than a sans-serif font such as Arial.
The Psychology of Typography
As humans, we are hardwired to respond to specific visual cues. We are drawn to shapes and patterns that are familiar to us, and we can often spot even the slightest changes in these patterns. This is why designers must be careful when choosing fonts for their brands. The wrong font can send the wrong message – even if everything else about the design is perfect.
For example, studies have shown that serif fonts are generally seen as more trustworthy and reliable than sans-serif fonts. This is likely because serif fonts are associated with traditional print media, such as books and newspapers. On the other hand, sans-serif fonts are often seen as more modern and hip and are related to digital media, such as websites and apps.
Types of Fonts
There are four main types of fonts: serif, sans-serif, script, and decorative.
- Serif fonts are the most traditional type of font: They are often seen as more trustworthy and reliable. Examples of serif fonts include Times New Roman, Georgia, and Courier.
- Sans-serif fonts are more modern and hip: They are often seen as more approachable and friendly. Examples of sans-serif fonts include Arial, Verdana, and Tahoma.
- Script fonts are designed to mimic handwriting: They are often used for invitations or other formal documents. Examples of script fonts include cursive (such as Old English Text MT) and brush script (such as Brush Script MT).
- Decorative fonts are just that – decorative: They are often used for headlines or other short pieces of text. Examples of decorative fonts include Broadway, Copperplate Gothic Bold, and Papyrus.
Choosing the Right Font for Your Brand
Now that we understand the psychology of typography let’s discuss how to choose the right font for your brand. There are two main things to consider: the personality of your brand and the message you want to communicate.
If your brand is playful and fun, you want to use a font that reflects that personality. For example, if you sell children’s toys, you might use a font that looks like a child’s handwriting. On the other hand, if your brand is more serious and formal, you will want to use a traditional serif font such as Times New Roman.
The message you want to communicate should also be considered when choosing a font. For example, if you are trying to convey a sense of luxury, you might use a decorative or ornate font. If you are trying to give a sense of simplicity, you might use a sans-serif font such as Arial.
Finally, it is essential to consider the overall tone of your branding strategy. Fonts can be used to create a feeling of warmth or coldness, friendliness or hostility, modernity or tradition. If you are unsure which font to choose, it is always a good idea to consult a professional designer.
Fonts on your website
While the fonts you use in your branding should be consistent across all platforms, you have more flexibility when choosing fonts for your website. This is because there are thousands of different fonts available for web use. When selecting a font for your website, you should consider the following:
- The personality of your brand
- The message you want to communicate
- The overall tone of your website
- The readability of the font
- The compatibility of the font with web browsers
If you write a lot of content for your website, you will also want to consider the font’s legibility. This is the ability of the reader to quickly and easily read the text. Sans-serif fonts such as Arial or Verdana are generally more readable than serif fonts such as Times New Roman.
With easy to read font, landing pages can be easily scanned by viewers, which can help increase conversion rates. That’s why something as simple as font choice can significantly impact your business’s revenue.
Popular fonts for each industry
While thousands of different fonts are available for web use, some are more popular than others. The following is a list of popular fonts for each industry:
- Technology – Arial, Verdana, Tahoma
- Finance – Times New Roman, Georgia, Courier
- Retail – Helvetica, Futura, Comic Sans
- Healthcare – Gill Sans, Lucida Grande, Trebuchet MS
- Education – Palatino Linotype, Book Antiqua, Cambria
- Food & Beverage – Copperplate Gothic Bold, Papyrus, Broadway
Final thoughts
Fonts can be a powerful tool for creating an effective branding strategy when used correctly. By understanding the psychology of typography, you can choose a font that will send the right message to your target audience. And by working with a professional designer, you can ensure that your branding strategy is on point.
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