The right typeface can be the difference between a successful logo and one that fails to make a positive impression. Before deciding on a new logo, it's important that businesses consider a few different designs, try a few different approaches and ultimately remember some of the basic rules of typography in their logo design. These tips explain what to remember when choosing a typeface that conveys the desired image, branding and personality of your business.
Ensure Fonts are Legible and Appropriate for the Medium
Fancy fonts sometimes fail the legibility test. Especially if your logo is going to be seen from a distance on business signage, it's important to consider how easily the lettering can be read. For businesses where most logos and text will be seen on a screen, a sans serif font such as Helvetica offers some of the best options from a legibility standpoint. For fonts on printed material, depending on the amount of text, a serif font such as Garamond can be a better option from a readability perspective, especially if there are a number of words to be included. Be careful with logo text of dark backgrounds. Especially when these are printed on paper or other stock, text that has been reversed with light lettering on a dark background can decrease legibility.
Consider The Mood You Wish To Convey
The power of typeface can convey complex moods, emotions and conjure up imagery that people will associate with your business. That's why its important to choose a font that aligns with the image that you want your business to convey in its branding. A professional IT business for example, will want to avoid old fashioned script-based fonts to convey a modern technological image. A legal firm will want to convey professionalism, so a cartoony font such as comic sans will be avoided in favour of a typeface like Futura, which conveys an image of efficiency and symmetry.
To convey the right image and mood, also consider the font colour. Keep it consistent with other colours used throughout the business to help unify branding, and remember the feelings and moods that different colours convey. For example, yellow represents cheerfulness and youth, green can convey nature, alternative medicines and environmentally-conscious businesses, and blue hues are often used to convey calmness and trust in security and corporate businesses.
Use Decorative Fonts Sparingly and Limit the Number of Fonts
Decorative fonts can be used effectively, but overdoing them can cheapen the overall effect of the logo or other marketing collateral. For large blocks of text, consider decorative fonts only for the first letter or word of a paragraph — or for a headline. Usually for a logo where the company slogan or motto is written below or as part of the graphic image, one font will be enough.
If two or more fonts are used, ensure they complement each other so they can form repetition and in turn hierarchy. This means the fonts may have a different appearance but should have some similar elements and may be from the same family. They may have complementing letter thickness, roundness or spacing. The most important information, in most cases probably the name of the company or a headline, should be the largest element of the design. The use of different fonts should help guide someone's eyes through a piece.
The flip side of this is ensuring two fonts are not too similar to create a meaningful contrast. If you struggle to notice much two different fonts alongside each other at a 24-point size, it's a good idea to consider trying another typeface.
Finally, when it comes to fonts, often the eye is the best judge. Run a few different font options by your team and see where the consensus lies. Often rules can be broken, so consider experimenting with a number of options to determine common points of agreement. Enlisting the assistance of a graphic designer can ensure a number of different options are presented based on your design brief, from which you can then decide upon.
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