How to choose the right brand typeface for your business
One of the key elements of branding, alongside things like your logo, colours, words, and imagery is the typography. You see typography every day, it is everywhere you look. You’re seeing it right now!
The typefaces you choose for your brand can have a huge impact on the way your business communicates. They establish visual hierarchy, create harmony, and set the overall tone of your brand.
The perfect brand fonts should:
- Be unique & memorable
- Be legible
- Work across every platform and touchpoint
- Communicate your brand personality
Typography is used all throughout your brand, from your logotype to your website, social media graphics, printed collateral, and more, so it’s important to make the right choice and get it consistent. One of the main ways to do this is to choose the very best typeface for your brand, but how do you know which to use?
[A quick note, what’s the difference between a typeface and a font? Good question! A typeface is made up of different fonts. For example, a typeface like Times New Roman is made up of different fonts such as italic, heavy, bold, etc. These different fonts make up the typeface.]
All typefaces have a voice or personality, and using that voice consistently is key to bringing more engagement to your brand. The right brand typeface will provide the versatility you need to deliver consistent brand expression across every touchpoint.
Organisations like yours need to choose brand typefaces that convey a cohesive identity and resonate with loyal customer audiences. For many B2B businesses, this process can be quite a challenge. But what are the differences between different fonts? And what makes them better for a certain business or use?
Let’s get into it!
Types of Brand Typefaces & Their Personalities
As a business owner, you might have already defined the Brand Voice that helps you build a strong connection with your consumers. So, understanding the message each font conveys will make the process of choosing fonts easier for you.
Get to know your brand personality
Every brand identity needs a well-defined brand personality. A clear brand personality based on your company values will be what your customers relate with, connect to, and remember you for. This will play a big role in increasing your brand awareness.
All of the components of your brand–your brand voice, brand color scheme, logo design, and of course your brand fonts–should align with and communicate your brand personality.
Not sure where to start? Download THIS free document and pick 3-4 adjectives from the list that reflect your principles, beliefs or philosophy of values. Then you will be ready to choose a typeface that aligns with and expresses your business personality.
Types of Brand Fonts & Their Personalities
In this section, we’ll discuss 6 major types of fonts and the emotion that each type conveys about your brand.
Every font sends a different message. You have now already defined the brand voice that helps you build a strong connection with your consumers. So, understanding the message each typeface conveys will now make the process of choosing one easier for you.
Each category has its own unique traits, so understanding these categories is critical for finding the right fonts to express your brand personality. This will help you narrow down your search and hone in on the right feel for your brand
Here are six of the basic typeface classifications:
1. Serif typefaces are classic, traditional, and trustworthy
2. Sans-serif typefaces are modern, clean, and help create minimal designs
3. Slab serif typefaces are bold, quirky, and confident
4. Script typefaces are elegant and unique
5. Handwritten typefaces are informal and artistic
6. Display typefaces are stylized, distinctive, and dramatic
1. Serif Typefaces
Serifs are the most traditional font types that symbolise class and heritage, making them ideal for brands looking to build an established brand identity.
Serif fonts convey trust and respectability due to their classical nature, making them perfect for brands that revolve around grandeur and authority.
Here are some popular serif fonts and personality traits.
A few popular serif fonts include:
Baskerville – Sophisticated
Georgia – Reliable
Playfair Display -Formal
Caslon – Traditional
Garamond – Classic
Faustina – Respectable
Bitter – Authoritative
If you’re looking to create a formal brand personality, serif fonts are ideal for you. They help you demonstrate trustworthiness while building brand awareness. Brands like Rolex, Tiffany & Co., Prada, Gucci, Vogue, and many others use serif fonts in their branding.
2. Sans Serif Typefaces
Sans-serif fonts are much simpler in form than serif fonts, so they tend to evoke a sense of cleanliness and aid in giving you a minimal design. Sans serif fonts have smooth edges, which gives them a clean, sleek, and modern look.
If you want to demonstrate simplicity and a straightforward attitude with your brand name or logo, using a sans serif font is a way forward.
The most common sans-serif fonts include:
Helvetica Neue – Clear
Montserrat – Modern
Open Sans – Stable
Roboto – Clear
Source Sans – Efficient
Lato – Clean
Archivo – Polished
Sans-serif fonts have taken over the web in recent years, with many of the top tech companies choosing bold sans-serif brand fonts: FaceBook, Google, Netflix, Spotify, Microsoft, Calvin Klein, etc.
3. Slab Serif Typefaces
Slab serifs are a subset of serifs with unique slab features – if you’ve ever typed on an old-school typewriter, you’ve seen slab fonts. As the name suggests, they are characterised by their bold and solid approach, which helps convey confidence, creativity, and dependability.
A few slabs serifs are not particularly good for ‘body’ text or long texts at a small size – but are excellent for big impact logos, headlines, and pull quotes.
Here are some popular slab serif typefaces and personality traits:
Rockwell – Confident
Roboto Slab – Dependable
Courier New – Rugged
Nexa – Friendly
Museo – Athletic
Clarendon – Solid
American Typewriter – Friendly
Choose slab font if you want to make a big splash – used by brands like Volvo, Sony, Honda, Marlboro, etc.
4. Script Typefaces
Script typefaces are elegant and unique and designed to capture the artistry of natural handwriting. they have character strokes that connect one letter to the next. They are decorative and so not suitable for long paragraphs of text but can bring a gentle femininity to anywhere they appear. Due to their handwritten, stroke-like style, script fonts provoke ideas of creativity, elegance, and freedom.
Dancing Script – Free Spirited
Pacifico – Classic
Allura – Stylish
Alex Brush – Classic
Satisfy – Feminine
Grand Hotel – Creative
Black Jack – Elegant
Because of their aesthetic nature, script fonts are more about adorning your designs rather than relying on legibility so while being fancy and artful, they are difficult to read in specific contexts – and use sparingly. Brands like Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, Ford, Instagram, Cadbury, and Cadillac use script fonts for their logos.
5. Handwritten Typefaces
Handwritten Typefaces combine the elegance of classical calligraphy and handwriting. Their decorative nature will enhance your logo & branding designs. If you are looking for a more natural feel with a casual touch, a good script font is your choice.
Turbinado – Warmth
Hanley Pro – Human
Northwell – Rustic energy
Palmer Lake – Natural
Better Times – Personal
Madina Script – Playful
Letteria Pro – Grace
Brands like Disney, Paul Smith, Stussy, Ray-Ban, Virgin, Barbie, Kellogg’s, Harrods, and many others use a handwritten typeface style.
6. Display Typefaces
Display typefaces are the most diverse. They can be used with logotypes, headlines, or headings on websites, magazines, or book covers. These fonts can transcend styles and can be serif font, slab serif, script, sans serif, and so on. They include any font that uses unique shapes, forms, or proportions for a highly stylized look.
You should always be careful when using decorative (or display) fonts. Why? Because lots of them are very, very bad. But they shouldn’t be completely avoided as there is also the odd good one.
Obviously, Display typefaces are never good to be used for body copy but amazing if you wish to show off your brand personality and emotionally connect with your target audience. Some of the most common emotions they evoke include fun, originality, and creativity.
Silkscreen – Fun
Flavors – Animated
Distant Galaxy – Original
Chewy – Unconventional
Barrio – Tailored
Cabinsketch – Appealing
Allerta Stencil – Unique
Brands Like IBM, Lego, SEGA, Baskin Robbins, Fanta, and 7Up use display typefaces
IN SUMMARY
I hope after reading Types of Brand Fonts & Their Personalities – you understand the strategic importance of branding your business correctly and can now your typeface with more confidence. If you’re stuck, give us a shout at Frank Brands, we specialise in B2b Business Branding.
ANY QUESTIONS please don’t hesitate to ask. We want what is best for you and your business. Thank you for reading the above and we look forward to perhaps supporting your business soon.
