Aharmoniously selected font not only conveys information tothe audience, but also visually complements the project. Amistake inchoosing afont can spoil the impression and alienate the viewer from the product, whether itbeaposter, asign for astore orcafe, product packaging, awebsite oranapp.
The ability tointuitively choose fonts for projects isadream for beginners and anordinary task for professional designers. Toget from the first category tothe second, you need years oftraining and study oftypography, lots ofobservation and theoretical knowledge about fonts.
Modern typography provides the designer with thousands oftypefaces tochoose from. Wetell you how tonavigate inthe first stages inorder tofind asuitable font.
Basic typographic concepts
Apertures, serifs, faces, stems, arches, inflows— the terms used intypography can make your head spin. Itisespecially dangerous todive into terminology for those who are just starting toget acquainted with fonts.
Take abreath: many ofthe words used bytype designers can bebypassed inthe early stages ofdesign. However, some ofthe terms are useful toknow: this way, itwill beeasier tounderstand what criteria tolook atwhen choosing afont.
Wehave compiled amini-dictionary oftypography terms.
- Afont family isaset ofdifferent fonts inthe same typeface. Afont family can include fonts that differ bypurpose, weight, and even style.
- Aface isthe font inasingle weight. Atypeface can have either 3or 9weights, from the thinnest tothe boldest. Common faces: Thin, Regular, DemiBold, Bold.
- Serifs are short perpendicular strokes at the ends of the basic elements of a character.
- Type size— this isthe height ofthe font characters, thatis, the vertical size.
What fonts there are (classification)
There isnosingle type classification that all designers use.
Fonts can bedivided according tothe historical eras inwhich they appeared, their visual form, and purpose. Let’s have acloser look atthe types offonts the knowledge ofwhich will definitely come inhandy inmodern typography.
Classified according totheir purpose, fonts can bedisplay and text.
Display fonts are sometimes called heading fonts, asthey are used todesign headings orhighlight catchy inscriptions. These are expressive fonts that catch the eye ofthe viewer.
Text fonts are fonts for typing, they may also becalled typesetting fonts. These are fonts with acalmer character, with high readability even insmall sizes. Agood text font does not distract from reading, looks solid and pleasant.
There are many font styles, and wewill look atthe most common ones: sans serifs, serifs, and slab fonts.
Sans serifs are the group offonts without serifs. These are universal fonts, functional and usually calm.
Serifs are the group offonts with serifs. These are fonts ofaclassic, elegant, ortraditional nature.
Slab fonts are fonts with large brutal serifs.
Many fonts donot fit any specific group and are atthe intersection ofstyles.
Font properties
Not everything isdefined bythe font’s purpose orstyle. Each font has its particular character.
The character ofafont iswhat sets itapart among the others. This could beits visual peculiarities, proportions, ornoticeable graphics.
TypeType Studio, for example, uses simple descriptions tohelp designers choose the right scope for afont. Afont can beneutral incharacter, then its scope ofapplication will bequite broad, oritcan have anexpressive character: brutal, technological, elegant.
There are also other characteristics, inwhich fonts can differ: inwidth, stroke orletter contrast, orsaturation.
Font styles
Each font family or subfamily consists of a certain number of styles. Depending on the style and type of font, this value may be different.
As we wrote earlier, a style is a single-weight font. Usually styles are differentiated by slope and thickness. A single font can include both upright and italic styles.
Upright styles are the main ones. Such fonts are used more often, so almost all typefaces have them.
Slanted, or italic, styles are fonts in which characters are placed at an angle relative to upright styles. These fonts can be used to highlight text, or to style headings and quotes. Typically, italics are created to match upright styles.
Some fonts may only have upright faces, such as some decorative fonts with an expressive character. There are also fonts in which there are only italic styles. Handwritten fonts are a prime example, as handwriting that such typefaces imitate often implies slanted characters.
As a rule, fonts have the same set of upright and italic styles, that is, the boldness of italic styles corresponds to the boldness of upright styles.
The boldness of a font may vary.
The following groups of styles can be distinguished:
- thin: Thin, ExtraLight, Light;
- normal: Regular, Normal, Medium;
- demi-bold and bold: DemiBold, Bold, ExtraBold, Black, ExtraBlack.
The choice of style depends on the task and scope. For printing large materials, especially posters, bold fonts can be used as they look better in large size. The choice of a font for a logo depends on the corporate identity of the company, but for typing a text array on a website or in periodicals, standard styles are often chosen, for example, Regular or Normal.
How totell ifafont isgood
Agood font isatypeface that suits the project interms ofcharacter, associations, and visual character. Any font can besuitable ifused correctly.
There are nobad fonts, only low quality ones. Itisdifficult towork with such fonts since the set insuch afont will look inharmonious, the letters may run into each otheror, conversely, betoo far away. Itisimpossible towork with such fonts, sobefore purchasing afont, check its quality. This can bedone bydownloading the free version— many studios provide this opportunity.
How tochoose fonts
Itisdifficult togive auniversal guide tochoosing atypeface because designers spend years learning how tochoose the right font without spending weeks.
However, there are guidelines tohelp you choose the right one.
1. Carefully study the nature ofthe font comparing ittothe positioning ofthe project. For example, ifafont isdescribed as«soft, flowing, and airy,» itmight beabetter choice for companies with the same positioning, such asabrand ofclothing made from natural fabrics. Such afont ishardly suitable for anIT brand, itisbetter tochoose something technological, and for abank oramedical company, look for amore classic, traditional font with acalm character.
2. Test! For example, TypeType Studio provides trial, thatis, free, versions ofthe fonts sothat the designer can try out the font for their project and decide whether tobuy alicense. Check with the company that made the font you like about this option— many large studios provide free test versions totheir customers.
How tochoose the font size
The font should fulfill its purpose, thatis, itshould bereadable inthe case ofatext array, and attract attention inthe case ofheadings.
Inpractice, itisbetter totest several sizes inorder tochoose the most convenient one. Itall depends onwhere the font isused: onthe web orinprinted products, inposters orinanapp, inabook oronastore sign.
Font combinations (font pairs)
For each project, itisbest touse nomore than two fonts— this isanunspoken rule oftypography. Ofcourse, there may beexceptions, but itisbetter touse font pairs inthe design.
Afont pair istwo fonts that pair flawlessly with each other. They can look great because ofthe similarity ofcharacter, or, conversely, beappealing because ofthe visual contrast.
Overview ofpopular fonts. Where toget fonts from (free, commercial)?
New fonts are released every month, and the ratings ofpopular fonts are regularly updated. Free fonts can befound onGoogleFonts, and alarge collection offonts ispresented onthe MyFonts site, where ratings ofthe most popular typefaces are also published. You can purchase fonts directly from studios whose typefaces attract your attention. For example, the TypeType font collection isregularly updated, and those who purchase fonts directly receive personal discounts: https://typetype.org/fonts/
Font and text editing software
Almost all modern graphic, text, and video editors support fonts.
Useful links: What toread about typography?
You can learn about font classifications onthe website orinthe book Letter Fountain, Taschen.
Tofind out how typefaces are created and the logic behind the formation oftypefaces ofdifferent styles, read Gerrit Noordzij’s book The Stroke: Theory ofWriting. This isaclassic edition that will beuseful not only for type designers, but also for those who want tobetter understand typography.
Conclusion
Typography may seem complicated, but only from adistance. The more you immerse yourself inthe study offonts, the better you will understand how and which fonts are best suited for your projects.
Start the path ofacquaintance with fonts gradually, constantly replenishing knowledge and applying itinpractice.
