Choosing the Right Font For Good Looking Marketing Materials

Anyone doing any type of print marketing knows about fonts (or typefaces). The big difference is understanding how best to choose and use fonts. And today, there are literally thousands of fonts available, many of them free to download and install. While not everyone can be expected to have design sense, choosing a font is all about reflecting a message and an image. Simply put, the font choice should accurately communicate the desired image. Clearly, a fun font for kids is not a good choice for a lawyer’s corporate marketing materials.

The fundamentals for choosing the right font are the same for a DIY artist as they are for business people working with a professional designer. But for everyone, clean and clear is key to success.

The so-called “signature font”

Many bigger companies adopt a “signature font” that they decide to live with for years. In some cases, these are custom designed – but either way, the purpose is to reflect the company’s image.  In fact, the typeface becomes part of the branding, and involves every piece of printed material.

Each typeface conveys an image

To the naked eye, fonts may just be letters – but the truth is, different fonts will convey different images. There are fonts that are easy to read (like serif fonts) particularly in books or newspaper articles. Other fonts (like sans serif) convey a clean, modern image – ideal for a corporate look.

Script fonts have their own use

Script fonts are “cursive” - some are considered “handwritten”. These fonts are quite decorative, and therefore difficult to read as body-copy. Script fonts should be used to add a special touch to a printed piece – it would be a major mistake to use these fonts in a paragraph or long copy.  

Thick, bold, dominating fonts

Sometimes referred to as “slab” fonts, these are ideal for catching the attention of the reader. Hence, the thick, heavy look would be ideal for a bold headline or header to entice a reader to continue reading. Here again, these fonts are a poor choice for long copy that requires reading.

Display fonts are a specialty

What designers call “display fonts” are typefaces that have a unique visual look. They are purpose driven and might include a “country/western” theme; a Christmas holiday theme; or even a fun and entertaining children’s theme. A display font will provide a visual twist to a printed piece.

Choosing the right font to reflect a message

Whether it’s a long-term branding campaign, or a one-off marketing piece, choosing the right font for a print marketing piece is important. And while everyone wants to attract attention quickly, the best approach is always to keep things simple. Going overboard with a crazy font may create a message that is hard to read, and might even turn off a potential customer. It’s also a good idea to limit font usage in a particular piece. Indeed, the ideal is to select a “font family” that will be used throughout a printed piece – a family that includes the full range of styles (bold, medium, and light). In this way, the same font look can be used in the headline and the longer body copy.