Confused about fonts and typefaces? Read on to discover everything you need to know to choose the perfect font for your next project.
Alright. You’re designing something for your business. A flyer. A banner. An online ad. It doesn’t matter what you’re designing, choosing the right font is one of the most important things you can do.
The wrong font is the equivalent of ruining a 10/10 outfit with the wrong pair of shoes. It’s like cooking an expensive piece of steak to perfection and then serving it with the wrong sauce. You get the idea. The wrong font has the potential to bring your whole project down.
So how do you choose the right font for your project? What are the different types of fonts? What’s the difference between a font and a typeface anyway?
By the end of this post, you’ll know everything there is to know (give or take) about choosing fonts.
Font vs typeface.
While these words are often used synonymously, they’re not the same thing. A typeface is essentially the family of font design (e.g. Garamond), whereas a font is a specific version of that typeface (e.g. Garamond Bold Size 12).
To avoid confusion, for the rest of this email, let’s just call it a font. You know what we mean.
Types of fonts.
There are three font types you need to be aware of. These are serif, sans serif and decorative or display fonts. Let’s look at the basics.
Other key things to consider:
Don’t overload your project with a gazillion different fonts. One isn’t enough but less is always more. Consider a main font and one or two complimentary fonts that add contrast.
Readability is crucial. Whatever you choose, make sure it’s legible.
We don’t care what you’ve heard, size does matter. Your font needs to be the right size based on the rest of the design. That means not too big and not too small.
Digital and print makes a difference. Another thing to keep in mind is the medium you’re creating your designs for. Print projects and digital projects require different resolutions, image qualities, colour modes and other formatting requirements. You’ll need to consider the user experience and whether the medium is going to change the way your font is viewed.
Remember why you’re designing the project in the first place. What you’re trying to achieve with your design should be your key consideration for everything, including – or perhaps especially – the font. What kind of mood are you going for? What do you want your audience to do or feel when they view your design? Keep this in mind when you’re making your font decisions.
