Choosing the Right Typography for Your Brand
Typography is the art of arranging text in an engaging and interesting way. What appears to be a simple choice about typeface, font, color and spacing are deliberate choices meant to convey a particular message. When it comes to your company’s branding, typography is an important part of the equation.
Why typography matters to your brand
Typography comprises a much larger portion of your brand than you may realize. If it’s written, it’s typography. Everything from the sign on your building to your email signature communicates something about your brand, whether you intend it to or not.
As with any decisions related to your business and your brand, your choice of typography should have some meaning behind it. The feelings you want to evoke should be represented in the typeface, font, size, spacing and colors. You’ll need to consider who your target audience is and how you want your brand to be perceived. Do you want to project an image that is clean and professional? Soft and feminine? Fun and playful? There are endless combinations to select the typography that best fits your brand and what you want to convey.
The typography you use also dictates the experience your audience has with the brand. While customers may not appreciate when you have great typography, poor typography leads to poor experience. If someone has to squint and zoom and refocus just to read your website, your chances of making future sales decrease.
Tips for choosing typography
To ensure your audience quickly understands your brand story and has a positive experience with your text, you’ll need to exercise basic typography principles in your branding:
- Limit your number of fonts to three at most: When you use too many fonts, your reader will be too distracted to understand the message on the page. If you’ve decided on a font you like, you can easily search for complementary fonts hand-picked by graphic designers.
- Stick to standard fonts: There are many interesting paid and free fonts available for you to download. The problem is that many users are unfamiliar with these fonts and may have a hard time reading them. It’s best to stick to well-known fonts like Arial and Times New Roman to ensure a clean experience.
- Choose a font that looks good at many sizes: As part of your visual identity, you’ll use the same font(s) on different designs. Your audience will see it while reading your website on their mobile screen and on the large banner above your expo booth. Pick a font that will look good at any size.
- Avoid using all-caps: DO YOU LIKE BEING YELLED AT? Neither does your audience.
- Ensure you have a good color contrast: Dark gray text on a black background is not just bad design, it’s also an accessibility concern. You want to make sure your copy is available to as wide an audience as possible. Following standards like those set by the W3C maximizes your website’s readability.
Good typography makes your website more readable, more accessible and more interactive. Let IDMI.Net help you create the website that best reflects your brand. Contact us today to learn more.