When you are designing anything that involves text, it can be daunting to choose from the myriad options that are available. Fortunately, there are guidelines to guide you through the selection process:
Firstly, you need to be familiar with font families. That includes families from Old Style such as Bembo, which originated during the Italian Renaissance and was used by a famed printer of the times Aldus Manutius, to Modern, of which Helvetica is a good example, and everything in between.
Using too many fonts results in a cluttered look that is sillier than slick. Take a look at the following:
It looks clumsier than cool! The golden rule is to use two fonts, three at most. Here’s an example:
Rather than combining two similar fonts, opt for a serif font paired with a sans serif option. In the previous example, we have used two fonts – Times New Roman, which is a serif-typeface, and Calibri, which is a sans-serif-typeface.
When using a combination of two fonts, ensure there is a strong contrast between the two. Otherwise, it won’t add to the readability. And it won’t appear nice either. Again, we can get a good idea about this from the example above.
Having said that, make sure that the two fonts have a similar ‘mood’ or feel, and reflect the same era or time period.
When using two fonts from the same family, they should appear to have different weights – the one seeming heavier than the other.
Some fonts, although popular, are best avoided. These include options such as Comic Sans, Papyrus, Curlz, Viner Hand and Kristen. Keep in mind, every font conveys an emotion. If you wish to convey a serious tone, Comic Sans isn’t really the right choice.
Platforms such as DaFont provide a seemingly endless array of fonts from which to choose. However, when choosing fonts for your website, you need to use Google Fonts.
Although these guidelines provide assistance and advice, you also need to experiment with various options and combinations to find a ‘feel’ that best fits your brand and your marketing strategy.
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