What is typography?
Typography is the art of arranging type to make written language clear, readable, and visually appealing. It significantly impacts how your brand's message is received.
Key points
- Typography is the visual style and arrangement of text.
- It significantly influences brand perception and readability.
- Consistent typography builds brand recognition and trust.
- Different fonts evoke different emotions and personalities.
Typography is more than just picking a font. It involves everything from the style of the letters to their size, spacing, and arrangement on a page or screen. Think of it as the visual voice of your brand. Just like how different tones of voice can change how you understand a spoken message, different typefaces can change how people perceive your written content.
When done well, typography can capture attention, guide the reader's eye, and create a specific mood or feeling. It's a powerful tool in marketing because it helps you communicate your brand's personality, values, and message without saying a single word. A friendly, rounded font might suggest approachability, while a sleek, angular font could convey sophistication.
Why typography matters in marketing
Good typography is crucial for several reasons in marketing. First, it directly affects readability. If your text is hard to read, people will quickly lose interest and move on. This is especially true in digital marketing where attention spans are short.
Building brand identity
Your choice of typography is a key part of your brand's visual identity, right alongside your logo and color palette. Consistent use of specific fonts across all your marketing materials helps people recognize your brand instantly. Think about famous brands and their distinctive typefaces; these choices are deliberate and reinforce their identity.
Influencing perception and emotion
Different typefaces carry different emotional associations. A classic serif font might suggest tradition and trustworthiness, while a modern sans-serif font could convey innovation and simplicity. Script fonts often evoke elegance or a personal touch. By understanding these associations, marketers can choose fonts that align with the emotions they want their brand to inspire.
Improving user experience and calls to action
In digital marketing, typography impacts how users navigate your website or interact with your ads. Clear, well-organized text improves user experience. Effective typography also makes calls to action (CTAs) stand out, guiding users towards desired actions like
Real-world examples
Google's brand evolution
Consider how Google's logo font has evolved over the years. Their initial serif font (Catull) felt more traditional, while their current custom sans-serif font is clean, modern, and friendly. This shift reflects their brand's evolution towards approachability and digital innovation, making their identity more suitable for diverse digital platforms and a global audience.
Luxury brand advertising
Many luxury brands use elegant, often thin serif or custom script fonts in their advertisements and packaging. This typography choice immediately communicates exclusivity, sophistication, and high quality, even before a product description is read. It helps create an aspirational feeling that resonates with their target market.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using too many different fonts, which can make your brand look inconsistent and unprofessional.
- Choosing fonts that are hard to read, especially on smaller screens or against certain backgrounds.
- Ignoring hierarchy, making it difficult for readers to distinguish between headings, subheadings, and body text.
- Not considering accessibility, which means some people might struggle to read your content.