Typography- a guide for business owners
Typography, Typeface, Font…what does this all mean and how do I use it? This is a question I get asked all the time by my clients, and one of the main reasons why I include Typography direction in all my Branding projects. So let’s dive into this world and get our facts right!
Businesses have many ways of delivering their messages to their audience, from copy to imagery and/or videos used across multiple platforms. The best way to guarantee that these messages are not only received but captured and engaged with by the audience is to have a series of visual strategies in place to give the brand a look and presence that is consistent.
These visual strategies are what we call Brand Identity, a series of factors that build a brand, including colour palette, typography selection, logo suite, and the overall aesthetics of a brand. And they aim at creating a visual representation of a business that not only is uniform but also able to become recognised by audiences, eventually building traction and generating loyalty.
But how does typography actually fit into this?
What is typography?
Used in many different places like books, websites, ads, and logos, Typography is the art of making written words look good and easy to read. Almost like dressing up words to make them more attractive and understandable. This involves choosing different styles of letters, adjusting their size and spacing, and adding colors or images to make them stand out.
Typeface vs. Font
Typeface
Typefaces are a set of designed characters that share a joint design style. It’s a collection of letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and other symbols that have a uniform visual build and are created to be used together in a cohesive way.
These elements come in a broad range of styles, from serif to sans-serif, script, display, and monospace. Each style has its own distinctive features, tending to convey different moods and feelings. Serif typefaces, for example, are frequently used in more formal settings, such as books or newspapers, while sans-serif typefaces are more typically used in digital contexts such as websites or mobile apps.
Font
A font is a specific variation of a typeface, which can include different weights, styles, and sizes. Each font file contains the shape, size, and spacing of each character, as well as additional metadata such as the font name, designer, and copyright information. These files are used by digital devices to display text on screens or to print it on paper.
Fonts can have different styles, such as regular, bold, italic, and bold italic; different weights, such as light, medium, and heavy; or unique stylistic variations, such as condensed or extended versions.
In other words, Typeface is your family of characters (Helvetica, for example), and Font is the specific weight, style, and size of that typeface (Helvetica Light, Medium, or Bold).
Why is choosing the right typography a key element for your branding?
Typography is all about creating a professional and visually appealing appearance that communicates a message with ease. Different fonts and structures can create different emotions and feelings in the reader, so choosing the right typeface and font will give you the chance to :
1. Enhance the appearance and effectiveness of your communication across all visual platforms.
Establish a clear visual hierarchy and structure, improve user experience with optimized readability and accessibility, and set the right tone and feel for your brand.
2. Build brand recognition.
Strong and consistent typefaces will give your audience a sense of comfort and trust over time.
3. Hold your audience's attention.
Visually compelling and unique typefaces can hold the span of attention of your customers for longer periods of time. Just think about your website- is it easy to read? Does your message come across in a solid way through your characters?
4. Have an influence on your audience’s decision-making process.
Different typefaces ignite different emotions in an audience, influencing how they digest and react to certain messages.
How to choose the right typography for your brand?
Based on everything you have read so far, you’re probably starting to understand how choosing the right typography for your brand can have a significant impact on how your brand is perceived by your audience. But to help you navigate this world, here are some key steps to help you choose the right typography for your brand:
Understand your brand: From personality to values, and goals. What are some of your brand words? Are you creating a business message that is fun and light-hearted? Or something that will have to get your audience’s attention in a traditional way?
Consider your audience: Think about your target audience and what they might expect from your brand. Consider factors such as age, gender, education level, and cultural background and what type of content (and style) they like to consume.
Choose a typeface family: Select a typeface family that aligns with your brand's personality and values with your target audience’s expectations. For example, a modern and minimalist brand might choose a sans-serif typeface family, while a traditional and classic brand might choose a serif typeface family.
Choose font styles: Choose font styles to enrich your brand's typeface family. Consider different styles such as bold, italic, or condensed, and select ones that enhance the overall visual appeal of your typography.
Ensure readability: Ensure that your chosen typography is legible and readable across different mediums such as print and digital platforms. Consider factors such as font size, line spacing, and letter spacing to ensure optimal readability.
Test and refine: Test your chosen typography in different contexts and refine it as needed. This can help ensure that it works effectively in all relevant applications.
Typeface Variations
There are many families of typefaces, classified into different categories based on their design characteristics. As seen above, the most common are:
Serif: with small lines, or "serifs," at the end of each stroke. They are prominently used in print media (newspapers and books) and are commonly associated with traditional and classic design styles.
Sans-serif: without serifs, which makes them a great asset for digital media such as websites and mobile apps. They are often associated with modern and minimalist design styles.
Display: designed to be used in larger sizes, becoming ideal for headlines or titles. They can come in a vast range of styles and are often used to create specific moods or feelings.
Script: simulating handwriting and usually used in traditional contexts such as wedding invitations or in logos for luxury brands.
Decorative: highly stylized and often have distinctive design features such as shadows, gradients, or textures. They are frequently used for display purposes or in graphic design projects.
Others: Monospace (with equal spacing between each character, making them valuable for coding or other applications where meticulous alignment is required); Bitmap (digital typefaces that store characters as a grid of pixels, mainly used for artistic or retro purposes).
Last thoughts
I know the world of typography can be hard to grasp at a first glance, but it’s a highly important piece of your Brand Identity. Choosing the right typography has a massive impact on how your business is perceived across different platforms, influencing how your target audience sees and interacts with you. So, to wrap it up, here’s a quick overview of everything we ran over in this post:
Typography: the art of making a text legible, legible, readable, and appealing.
Typeface: the design of a collection of characters. Examples: Arial, Helvetica, Futura, Garamond.
Typeface variations: styles of typefaces. Examples: Serif, Sans-Serif, Display, Script.
Fonts: specific characteristics of a typeface, including weight, style, and size of that typeface. Examples: Light, Medium, Bold.
