Table de matières
How typography impacts in design and marketing
Typography has a purpose. Fonts are designed to express a certain mood and are intended to be aesthetically pleasing. Used in marketing fonts are intended to help selling products but regardless of the desired outcome fonts are meant to be readable. Over centuries typographers have sought to create the most readable font by adjusting the thickness of the letters, serifs, height, curvature, italics, baselines, cap-lines, joints or legs. Until recently readability has been relatively subjective and was regarded as a matter of preference.
Fonts
express a story by bringing a voice and personality to your work. Whether in print or online, a good typeface can engage your audience while a bad one can drive them away.
The right typography can define you as a playful, informal company with just a glance. A different kind of font in your logo could improve your chances of capturing your customer’s eye or differentiating you from the competition.
If you want your name to stand out on your logo, then it’s crucial to remember that the appearance of the text is almost as important as the word itself. While your name has a part to play in brand awareness, if the style and shape of your letters can’t get your customer’s interest, then you might lose out on the brand recognition you crave.
In a world where your logo is often the first point of contact between a customer and your company or product you can’t afford to miss out on choosing the perfect font. Understanding typography psychology, the personality that different styles convey, and how you can impact customer feeling with your choice of text could mean that you instantly outshine your competitors.
While most people are familiar with the concept of colour psychology, and how certain shades can make us think and behave differently, what you may not know, is that we are also affected by the psychology behind the fonts. Our associations with different inspirational typography trigger powerful ideas and emotions. For companies, this means that choosing the right typography in logo design could help you to fill the gaps in your brand personality.
Whether designing a logo with a typeface that’s serious and sober to define a “formal” brand, or choosing something more upbeat and edgy, fonts can be key to effective brand recognition. Once you understand that each font has its own distinct characteristics, and you clarify what those are, you can choose the options that share the features that best represent your business.
English fonts are classified into three major groups
● Serif
● Sans-Serif
● Script
To understand the difference between serif and sans serif, you’ll need to know how each option looks like. A serif font is named for the “serifs” present on each character.
A serif is a little foot or decorative extensions that appears on the edges of words. If you think of a typeface like (Times New Roman), it is a serif font.
What’s the difference between a serif and a sans serif font?
Serif fonts “finish” the strokes of each letter with a little flourish. It’s similar to the kind of ink dot left behind when people would write in old calligraphy. Serifs can be either extremely distinct, or subtle.
Serif fonts are distinctly more ornamental than their sans serif counterparts. They mimic old-fashioned writing styles, and have histories dating all the way back to statements carved in rock by stonemasons.
Today, serif fonts are common in newspapers, magazines, and even in books. These typefaces are seen as classic and elegant. Newspapers usually use serif fonts combined with sans-serif fonts to draw attention to the headers and subheadings in a story.
The most traditional font option, serif fonts promote feelings of class and heritage, making them ideal when you want to create a company that feels “established”. Due to their classical nature, serif fonts carry feelings of trust and respectability, making them perfect for brand identities that revolve around authority and grandeur.
Definition of sans serif
As we now know what “serif” is, we can answer the question: “what is the difference between serif and sans serif?
” The word sans simply mean “without”. If a “serif” font is one with the little feet or extensions on the edges of characters, a sans serif font is one that drops these marks entirely.
Sans serif fonts are deemed more modern and informal. They’re closer to modern. Like serif fonts, sans serif typefaces are excellent for the digital age, because they’re easy to read in a range of sizes and formats. You probably know sans serif fonts in the form of designs like Arial, Helvetica, and the dreaded Comic Sans.
Sans serif does not have these details or extensions. An example would be the Arial font… And sans serif fonts are used regularly because of how clean they tend to look in those main text areas.
How sans serifs are used
If serif fonts are fantastic for showcasing class, formality, and sophistication, sans serif fonts are perfect for modern, more playful brands. These typefaces are intended to be more approachable, without the harsh edges and feet to worry about.
Sans serif fonts are simple and clean, with crisp lines and soft curves. Sans serif fonts deliver a feeling of informality, friendliness, and approachability. The companies which use these fonts are often deemed more relatable and youthful.
Sans serif fonts are a popular choice among tech companies, start-ups, and innovative companies who want to be more approachable to the masses. A sans serif font is very easy to look at and work with. You can use sans serif fonts on their own or match them with more decorative typefaces in logos and packaging designs.
When to use serif and sans serif fonts
As we came across the differences between serif and sans serif fonts, we now get an idea which typeface we should be using for different products.
Both serif and sans serif font have their distinct benefits. The key to choosing the right font is deciding what kind of image or atmosphere you want to build.
Which is more readable? Serif or sans serif fonts?
Both are extremely legible, making them a popular choice for all kinds of online and offline content. Serif fonts are seen as more readable because they’re extremely uniform and easy on the eye.
However, sans serif fonts are more “legible”. Most books and magazines use serif typefaces where the reader won’t have to recognise every letter to read. Serifs help in seeing the letters in unity.
Script fonts
A script typeface is based upon hand-lettering using a brush or a calligraphy pen. They have a unique element of fluid stroke attached to it. In layman’s terms, it is writing using a brush while connecting letters. They were used primarily for print packaging, signage, advertising. Every typeface has a personality attached to it. It is essential to choose the correct typeface for your interface, based upon your brand identity, style, and personality it portrays.
A script typeface carries an elegant, stylish, creative, and a carefree personality. It has various moods and characteristics attached to it and is further categorized into Formal and Casual Scripts.
Formal scripts are very fluid and graceful, and often have connecting strokes. They are appropriate when an elegant, stately look is desired. Formal scripts are commonly used for invitations, announcements, and decorative initial letters, where their elegant look can go a long way towards setting a sophisticated tone.
Casual scripts are meant to look friendly and loose, as though quickly drawn with a pen, brush, or similar writing instrument. Their strokes can be connected or not, and the mood conveyed tends to be warm, personal and relaxed. Casual scripts are often used for ads, brochures, and anything that requires an intimate, informal look.