You don’t need to work for a creative design agency to understand typography and its importance in branding. However, many entrepreneurs fail to pay attention to the details of typography, assuming that content in any font will work as well.
What these business owners are missing is the fact that typography is a nuanced, non-verbal form of messaging that can work with your other brand elements, to deliver a consistent, memorable, and enticing experience for your current and prospective customers.
To ensure you get the most out of this subtle yet powerful design tool, keep the following five tips in mind.
1. You need to understand your brand identity
To be able to make effective decisions on anything related to branding, you need to have a thorough understanding of your brand personality. This means knowing who you are, what your mission and values are as a company, and who you intend to reach with your products or services.
Once you’ve painted a clear picture of your brand’s character, you’ll be better equipped to choose a font that nonverbally communicates your company’s tone.
2. Your font style and color should match your brand’s character
You will likely find dozens of fonts that you are drawn to. However, they may not be a good match for your brand personality. The same goes for the colors you use.
You may love vibrant fall colors like red and orange, but if you sell eco-friendly bedding, these colors may not be a good match for your calm and serene brand tone. Similarly, you may love bold, modern fonts, but if you make wedding cakes, you may need to focus on softer, more ethereal fonts.
3. Text must always be easy to read
If you were to do a quick search for “ethereal fonts,” you’d find an abundance of styles that would work beautifully for a wedding cake designer. However, you’ll also notice that quite a few of them are lovely but incredibly difficult to read.
This is a cardinal sin in the world of typography.
Hard-to-read fonts create friction between customers engaging with your brand and making a purchasing decision.
As any marketer will tell you, the sales funnel is the last place you want to create friction. So, as attached as you might be to a unique, creative font, if it makes your content even a little bit hard to read, you need to ditch it in favor of a clearer alternative.
4. Experiment with different font sizes, kerning, and line spacing
Typography is about far more than font selection. It is a multidimensional approach to lettering that allows you to control how users navigate your website, app, emails, and other communications.
By playing with different font sizes, kerning, and line spacing, you can create visual hierarchies that guide the reader’s eye.
Not only does this help you craft an effective user journey, but it also takes the work out of reading for your customers. Well-crafted typography can give readers a sense of ease and enjoyment that keeps them coming back to your brand for more.
5. Play with different font pairs
Experimenting with different font pairs can help you create contrast and visual interest in your designs. Just be careful not to go overboard. Too many different font types can feel chaotic and disorderly, so stick with two that complement each other well.
Font selection may seem like a mundane task. However, we hope this article has revealed just how much depth there is to be found in typography. Get to know your brand, develop its personality, and experiment with typography to give it extra dimensionality.