Choosing the right font for your brand can really make or break it. Think about some of the most iconic companies of the 21st Century: Disney, Google, Coca-Cola, Cadbury, Facebook. The first thing many people think of when they think of these brands is their logo’s font. From Disney’s well-known swirls to the smooth font of Google’s logo, fonts play a huge role in these brands’ identities. So how do you choose the right font to represent everything your brand stands for? This article will share some key tips and considerations to help with this important branding job.
How to Choose the Right Font for Your Brand’s Personality
The first step in getting the right font is to really understand the personality of your brand. Having a clear personality helps your customers to relate to your brand and also gives it that memorable edge that is so important. The easiest way to do this if you don’t know where to start is to pick some key adjectives to describe your brand and build your image and personality from there. There are some common types of font you can then use to match with this brand personality.
Choosing a Serif Font
A serif is the small decorative line at the end of a character. The most common example of a serif font is the classic Times New Roman font. Choosing this kind of font for your brand portrays an image of class, sophistication, and luxury. This font is a classic typeface that has been used for generations. Brands such as Tiffany and Co., Rolex, and Vogue all use this typeface for their logos.
Choosing a Sans Serif Font
As you might be able to guess from the name, sans serif fonts don’t have the decorative line that serif fonts do. These fonts give a more sleek and modern feel to your brand and have the added bonus of better readability, especially for digital platforms. They can also portray an image of strength. If this is something that is important to your brand, then a Sans Serif font is the way to go. Some famous examples of Sans Serif fonts include Spotify, Netflix and Adidas.
Choosing a Script Font
A lot of brands gravitate intuitively towards script fonts because they look like cursive handwriting. This can really help give your brand a homey and personal touch. They can also inject a little femininity into a brand with their curls and swirls. There are many different types of script fonts to suit different personalities. It’s worth being aware, though, that script fonts don’t work well for long paragraphs of text as they can make it really difficult to read. It is best to use this kind of font sparingly. Some key brands that use script fonts in their logos are Kellogg’s, Coca-Cola and Barbie.
Functionality Over Style
It is worth remembering, though, that the number one purpose of your brand’s font is to allow people to read the text you create. Whilst it can be tempting to pick a highly stylised, unique font this isn’t always the best move. Functionality and readability are more important, generally, than style. Plus, some of the most famous fonts that we have mentioned throughout this article keep things really simple. If you want to inject some fun into your font without compromising readability, take a leaf out of Google’s book and play with colour too!
How to Make Your Font a Reality
Once you have decided on the kind of font you want to use for your brand, you’re going to need to find a partner to work with to help make your vision a reality. Choosing to work with printing specialists like Sherwood Universal mean that when it comes to printing using your font, any common mistakes will be avoided, and you can guarantee a finished product that looks just how you were imagining.
Tony Hunt is a seasoned Print Industry Expert with over three decades of experience in the trade. He has been instrumental in helping clients expand their product ranges, secure more business, and ultimately increase their profitability. Tony’s approach is characterised by enthusiasm and passion, balanced with a realistic and tactical mindset. His expertise is further bolstered by seven years of running his own business, fostering a commercially-driven perspective. An excellent communicator, Tony prides himself on never compromising on detail.