Marketing fonts deserve a lot more attention than they usually get. You can be working hard to promote an excellent gaming product like Ramses book, but if the message is challenging to read, you will instantly lose the reader’s attention. It’s vital to strategically choose the font that will be used in your marketing copy. Only pick the option that will represent your brand in the best possible way. Because of the vast options available, it may be challenging to pick the option that will contribute to the success of your marketing efforts. Our helpful guide below will walk you through the process of picking the perfect font.
- Know the Major Font Categories to Choose From
The first step towards identifying the most appropriate font for marketing purposes is to know the primary categories available. Keep in mind that while many classifications have been proposed, there’s still no single classification system universally accepted. In addition to Serif and Sans serif, other common selections include
- Transitional Styles- introduced in the 18th century, these styles were a transition between modern and old-style letterforms. They offer more refined and elegant details. Examples include Mrs. Eaves, Times New Roman, and Bookman.
- Calligraphic- these are fonts that continue to gain popularity over the years because they embody a human touch design. Perfect examples include Crushine, Holyhand, Billow, and Bold Ink.
- Gothic- Also known as blackletter, this one dates back to the 1400s. One of the features that make it stand out is highly ornamental capitals. Examples of this style include Old English, Engravers, and Fraktur.
- Display- Perhaps one of the most diverse and biggest categories, it is one of the worst fonts for body copes because they can become illegible. The category includes various graffiti and tattoo styles. They are primarily suitable for logos, headlines, emphasis, or short copies. Examples include Pittsbrook, Morning Glory, Carter Layered, and Burnout.
With the above options in mind, it’s also important to remember that the best font should have several qualities. Always go for the option that is legible, memorable, unique, able to communicate your brand’s personality, and is multi-platform oriented. Experimenting with different varieties can help you land on the one that will work best for your entity.
- Don’t Work with Personal Preference
When choosing a font for marketing, a fundamental rule is to set personal preferences aside. Your audience may not necessarily like what you love. Instead, it is wiser to use your target audience as a guiding light. Conduct research to study how your ideal buyers view, judge, and interact with your marketing content.
If there is any doubt, go for the most readable option. It needs to be an option that ultimately enhances the user experience. Whether dealing with online campaigns or producing readable print material, improving user experience will maximize engagement and decrease bounce rates. Most importantly, ensure that the font is consistent with the message you want to pass across. Avoid playful fonts when you want to pass a serious point. Reserve the playful options for whimsical and fun topics.
- Think About Visual Hierarchy
Establishing visual hierarchy in the font selection process is something you should never ignore. Consider the part of the marketing message you want the viewers to see first. Naturally, you want the audience to focus on the essential details. It simply means using a style that will make the information pop out, like special offers, business names, or headlines. In most cases, the most vital elements should be the weightiest and largest.
An excellent example of visual hierarchy fonts is seen in traditional medium magazines and newspapers. The font size publishers use in elements like headlines, sub-headlines, captions, and body is usually different to separate the elements.
- Pair Contrasting Fonts
At times, you may want to use two or more fonts for your marketing efforts. This is the time to be creative and tactical. Steer clear of the styles that are too alike, as they may only cause problems in the message you want to deliver. It’s better to work with contrasting fonts that beautifully bring out your message, attracting the reader’s interest. The font weight, shape, and proportions need to vary to avoid confusion.
As a rule of thumb, go for a maximum of 3 font types, especially for print projects. However, if you must work with more options, mainly when dealing with a font for the web, choose a variety that will create a harmonious look instead of a cluttered one. It will enhance the font’s readability for better results.
- Consider Readability and Legibility
The clarity of fonts comes in two primary flavors, i.e., readability and legibility. Legibility is the informal measure that people use to distinguish one letter from the next. Aspects that affect legibility may include character shapes, x-height, weight, stroke contrast, body font choice, and size of counters, series or lack thereof, etc. On the other hand, readability generally describes how phrases, words, or blocks of copy are read. You may find that it is easier to use sans serif Google fonts for web content because of the screen size and resolution. Many designers also stick to serif fonts for the body of printed works.
- Choose an Appropriate Size
One of the grave mistakes that marketers make is using the wrong font size for their marketing copies. The wrong size can instantly put off readers, regardless of how good the message is. Note that font size heavily depends on the surface or screen that will display the marketing message. If you are working with multiple-line paragraphs, limit the size to 45-70 characters for every line. More than 70 characters in one line can be tiring for readers to scan back and forth.
Lines that are too short can also have strange hyphenated breaks that do not read well. Tons of white space running through paragraphs is also typical in lines with few characters.
- Decide Whether You want Free or Paid Fonts
You can easily find thousands of free fonts to use for your marketing campaign. All you need to do is evaluate them and be highly selective of the options you pick. This said the free varieties might not have different weights like italic, bold, or semi-bold. You may also find that the free options do not have a specific symbol or character you may wish to include. Additionally, a majority of free varieties do not have the extended characters for currencies or foreign languages. If you want additional features, you may want to consider buying fonts that you will use to elevate your business. There are plenty of marketplaces where you can find unique options that will work exceptionally well for your business. Compare prices from different sources to get the one that has the best deals.
Closing Thoughts
Choosing the proper fonts for your marketing copies is an integral part of promoting your business. You need to make sure you pick the most appropriate options to communicate the intended message most suitably.
Have you ever used the wrong font to market your business? What was the result? In your opinion, what are the worst fonts? Do you have further advice on how to choose the most pleasing fonts for marketing a business? Kindly let us know in the comments.
Author’s Bio:
Arthur Rowley is an avid writer specializing mostly in technology and marketing. Having spent years finessing his craft, he now can ensure you that Arthur has much acclaim for these areas and dedication to providing high-quality blogging content.