What Is Typography?

At the basic level, typography is the art that involves arranging a typeface in various
combinations of font, size, and spacing. In this way, a wide range of designs including website
design, brochure designs, print design, books, and computer graphics, etc. depends on the
skillful use of typography for making an impact.

Graphic designers use typography to adjust the text within the design. This helps in creating
content with a purpose. The planned use of typefaces allows the designers to make a design
look aesthetic and pleasing.

The designers have been using typefaces strategically to make a text readable and also to
make an impression on viewers. Because of such designs with unique typography ideas, a
brand can communicate with its audience in an effective way.

Typography allows designers to create visuals for brands. Graphic designers consider some
crucial things when using typography. They make judicious decisions regarding choice of font,
size, body text, white space, placement, and many other aspects of using a typeface.

Different Elements Of Typography

Typography is no more a simple way to arrange typefaces as it used to be once. With new
technologies and designing needs emerging, designers and printers use many terms that hint at
their requirements. Here are few of the typography terms commonly used in the typography
world:

i. Typefaces And Fonts

Often, fonts and typefaces are the terms mistakenly used interchangeably by many. Technically,
a typeface comprises many characters of varying weight and sizes. Typeface refers to creating
the text style such as Arial and Helvetica. A typeface is a family of the fonts related to the
typeface.

A font refers to weights, widths, and styles of a typeface and is a graphic representation of text
characters. Fonts are about the width and height of a typeface and refer to its style. All
typefaces have different font sizes. So, graphic designers know every individual character as x-
height.

When the designers want to pair fonts together, they generally pick a typeface that has a similar
x-height. The width is about the area of the body of the letter and the space that follows. To
measure the typeface, the designers use the point system. So, one point is equal to 1/72 of an
inch, and 12 points equals to one pica.

ii. Leading

It’s the vertical space we see between each line of words.

iii. Leading Value

The distance between the two lines of text is the leading value. Mostly it is more than the font
size

iv. Tracking
Known also as letter spacing, tracking is the space we see between text characters.

v. Kerning

Kerning is the space left between characters and letters.

vi. Line Length

The line length is the standard length of the text.

vii. Hierarchy

Hierarchy is about guiding the reader to notice the headers, subheadings, and body types as
per the importance of the text.

viii. Size

Size determines the hierarchy value, and it is done through the use of spacing, dimensions, and
color.

ix. Color

Text color helps a text stand out. It conveys the tone of a brand message. A designer balances
the three components of colors – value, hue, and saturation.

x. Alignment

Alignment is a crucial typography element to unify text to give it equal size, space, and to
ensure the right distance between each element.

xi. Contrast

Contrast is another key typography element to help designers highlight an idea or message. It
makes text meaningful, attention-grabbing, and interesting.

Basic Rules Of Typography For Graphic Designers

Graphic designers use typography with a purpose. They have a certain brand message to
convey to a target audience, which compels the designers to use typefaces creatively.

Some graphic designs are solely based on text. To make such visuals look appealing and
purposeful, the professional designers follow some time-proven rules of typography. Here is
what they consider:

i. Consider Text

An experienced graphic designer will first read the entire text given by the client carefully. When
it comes to incorporating the text in website design, it becomes all the more important. Many
designers make the mistake of simply copying and pasting the text from a file.

But the wrong choice of typeface and font will not help in leaving a desirable impact on viewers
or customers. So, to grab customers’ or visitors’ attention, first read the text completely so that
you get a unique idea of how it should be incorporated and integrated into a design such as a
website. So, go through the entire text minutely before you set out to pick the right typographic
element.
ii. Show Hierarchy

Hierarchy is about guiding the viewer’s eye to the most important element on the design, such
as website design. The designer uses the typography to decide where a visitor should read first.
To create hierarchy, the designer uses font size and typeface to catch the eye and drive the
attention to the most important information.

Generally, the designers create an impactful hierarchy in a design by adding three different
levels of typography. The level-one typography is generally the most significant content. This is
the one that viewers see the first distinctively visible typographic element in your design.

The level-two typography element is used to create the text into a group or section of
information to help viewers navigate the details easily. But this level of typeface should stand
out.

The level-three is usually the meat of design and it is a text-heavy layout. Here the viewer gets
into the message of your design. It could be your whole article or a brief description. The
primary aim of typography at this level is to make the reading easy since the font size is usually
small.

iii. Pick The Right Color Of Typefaces

The designer chooses a perfect color of typography so that it becomes easily readable. With the
use of color, catching the visitor’s eye becomes a lot easier on a website or other design. A
wrong choice of typography color may result in the viewer losing the attention due to various
design elements in the background.

Therefore, the designers and typography artists pick a color that is in contrast to the background
colors. For instance, choose a black text if the background is in white or light color to make the
text readable.

Why Is Typography So Important To Graphic Designers?

An overwhelming majority of sites and designs are occupied by content, which requires careful
use of typography. Displaying content is, after all, an art that typography can handle very well.
Remember that text-based content is a key to bring visitors and keeps them engage with a site.

So, the viewers should be able to perceive the content easily. Therefore, graphic designers
understand the significance of typography.

Here Are Some Key Reasons Why Typography Is Crucial To Graphic Designers

01. Grab The Viewer’s Attention

The attention span of people is fast decreasing, and it is now a few seconds only. Brands have
to grab the attention of their target customers in that friction of time. Graphic designers,
therefore, use the power of typography to catch the eye immediately.
Since typefaces come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and styles, these elements become
crucial to creating unique designs. The designers today use even kinetic typography as a way to
draw viewers’ attention to

02. Make Text Reader-Friendly

Careful use of typography ensures that visitors can read the text on a web page easily. A wrong
choice of fonts will make the presentation complex and confusing for the viewers.

For instance, small and craped fonts create tension in the eyes. So, even when the design
project is fun and complex, the audience should be able to scan the text.

The readability of the content also depends a lot on how the designer does alignment and
arranging of the text. Conventionally, the designers have been aligning the font in four
ways: right, left, centered, and justified.
But now they can align text in whichever way they want due to the power of CSS and
Photoshop images. But the purpose of the text alignment also is to direct the reader to the most
crucial information.

03. Establish Hierarchy

An experienced and skillful graphic designer makes good use of different font sizes and font
types to draw visitor’s attention to the most important information first. The viewer can locate
such information jut by having a quick look at it. To achieve this, the designer uses a variety of
font sizes for heading, subheadings, and the text body.

04. Builds Recognition

Brand recognization is crucial for businesses to deal with competition. In graphic design, the
fonts are the visuals that target customers or visitors keep in memory for a long time. It is these
visuals that help a business build recognition amongst its customers.
Many logos are typography based. They are all brands that people recognize quickly. So, your
typography design ideas should aim at building your brand recognition.

Careful use of typography is essential to ensure the desired impact on the audience and how
they should perceive your brand. Take, for example, the logos of CocaCola, Google, GAP, and
Disney. These are all great examples of a recognizable typography logo due to their specific
use of typefaces.

05. Give Value And Tone To Your Brand

Typography is also helpful in setting the values and tones of a brand. Each typeface has the
power to represent businesses in different ways in terms of what they do and what for they
stand. This is precisely the reason for there being many kinds of typefaces as they represent
different moods and effects through a design.

The audience understands a design by grasping its message. So, the designers incorporate the
fonts that set the tone to present and convey a message.

Take, for instance, sans-serif typefaces. These are typically preferred to give a design or a text
page a clean, simple, and easy to read look on a large scale. So, these are modern looking
typefaces.

On the other hand, serifs are generally considered conventional and old-fashioned. But these
are also easier-to-read typefaces and so graphic designers prefer these for long-form content
such as books and blogs.

06. Create Harmony

Graphic designers use typography also to ascertain harmony in a design or a web page. A
harmonic design has an artistic effect on viewers. The designers use the same font for similar
content so that people can recognize it immediately.
This also helps in providing continuity to the design. So, when a graphic designer aligns fonts
with the correct proportion, it gives a clean and uncluttered look to a presentation.

07. Give Personality To A Design

One of the characteristics of typography design is that it gives personality to a design. Your
design or web pages look friendly or high-end, playful, serious, welcoming, etc. because of the
strategic use of typefaces. You can use certain typefaces to reflect your brand’s traits.

Remember that various typefaces and fonts carry different characters and meaning. Therefore,
a designer uses this to give personality to a design. So, finding the right typefaces with a
personality balance is difficult, but it is crucial to create unique designs.

08. Make A Visual Impact

Typography is also an important element to build an impression on viewers or users. Its glaring
example is that these days the designers use larger fonts for a bold visual impact. They convey
the message to the viewers about the purpose of the content. You can notice some stunning
pieces of artwork based on larger fonts.

Such designers seem to follow a new philosophy of giving a message through bold typeface.
For this reason, websites have larger headers that look like the cover of a book.

These benefits of typography should compel you to have a relook at your brand’s visuals. Your
brand must be having a website, brochure, business card, logo, and a whole gamut of
marketing materials. Most of these identities use typefaces in different capacities. If you think
that they need to be redesigned using the power of typography, then let an experienced graphic
designer handle the job.

Typography psychology: The 6 different font styles

Just as people have certain feelings and associations that they link to specific colours, the same
can be said when it comes to font psychology. We automatically react differently to the way that
text is written. In other words, it’s not just what you say, but how you say it.

For instance, if you’re interested in conveying the idea that your business is respectable or
traditional, then you’d choose a font style that’s rooted in ideas of heritage. On the other hands,
if you want people to see your business as stable and welcoming, then you might choose a less
formal, sans-serif typeface.

Let’s look at typography in logo design, and how each font can communicate different things.

1. Serif font psychology

Starting with the most traditional font option, serif fonts promote feelings of class and heritage,
making them ideal when you want to create a company that feels “established”. Due to their
classical nature, serif fonts carry feelings of trust and respectability, making them perfect for
brand identities that revolve around authority and grandeur.
Serif fonts work best in “formal” situations. They’re perfect for companies who want to build
brand awareness, while demonstrating their trustworthy nature. Often, serif types are ideal for
financial companies, academics, broadsheets, and editorials. Some of the most popular options
are:

Times New Roman

Georgia

Garamond

2. Slab serif font psychology

Often regarded a “sub-set” of serif fonts, slab serif typefaces look like serifs, but have specific
slab sections in them. They’re associated most frequently with confidence, solidity, and a sense
of bold attitude.
Generally, slab serif fonts are best used by companies who want to make an impact on the
market, either with an innovative new idea, or an intuitive product. They’re frequently used by
car and technology brands who want to install confidence in their customers, while showing off
some modern creativity. Favoured options include:

Courier

Rockwell

Museo

3. Sans serif font psychology

Sans serif fonts are clean, modern, and engaging. They’re used by brands who want to
demonstrate a straight-forward, simple, and no-nonsense attitude. When it comes to typography
in logo design, sans serif solutions indicate a sense of honesty and sensibility. There are no
decorative elements distracting the eye or clouding the message.
The simple, yet effective nature of sans serif fonts make them perfect for brands who want to
put clarity first when designing their company logo. Often, you’ll find these typefaces on clothing
brands, technology companies, and businesses that are focused on “forward-thinking” ideals
and brand purposes. A few of the best sans-serif fonts are:

Arial

Century Gothic

Helvetica

4. Script font psychology

Script fonts are generally a lot fancier than their serif counterparts. They’re intended to provoke
ideas of femininity, elegance, and creativity, thanks to their hand-written nature. If you want to
make your company feel more personal, and improve your chances of earning that all-important
customer affinity, then script typefaces could be the perfect option. However, it’s important to
make sure that the script you choose is legible.
When it comes to typography psychology, script fonts are probably the ones most likely to
inspire emotional and creative ideas. They’re perfect for when you want to convey feeling,
history, or experience, and can be particularly useful for “visual” brands who want to show off
their creative side. The key is to use script fonts with caution. While they look artful and fancy,
they can also be difficult to read in certain contexts. A couple of options to try might be:

Lucida Script

Lobster

Zapfino

5. Modern font psychology

“Modern” typography sounds like it should be the most futuristic of the bunch. However, the
truth is that it’s been around since the eighteenth century. Designed to be simple and legible,
modern fonts come with thin and thick transitions in the strokes between letters, and they can
also have thin horizontal serifs.
When using typography in design for logos, modern fonts are used to convey feelings of
exclusivity, intelligence, and style. If you’re hoping to showcase your brand name in a way that’s
easy to read, and brimming with modern flare, then this font type could be just right for your
brand. It’s fantastic at attracting the attention of millennials, thanks in part to its association with
Facebook. Here are some modern fonts to explore:

Matchbook

Politica

Klavika

6. Display and decorative fonts

Finally, if you’re looking for typography logo design inspiration, you can’t get more creative than
display or decorative fonts. These are unique, and sometimes customised typefaces that are far
removed from the norm, and used most frequently in logos. Highly unique and stylised, these
fonts add personality to your business, but it’s important to consider the emotional response
your audience will have to them carefully before you commit to a specific choice.
Decorative or display fonts can be ideal for almost any business logo, because you can easily
convey whatever personality is right for you. By tweaking, twisting, and fine-tuning your fonts,
you can demonstrate your business as being casual, direct, fun, or unique. Some of the most
common display fonts include:

Bombing

Gigi

Jokerman

However, decorative fonts can easily be designed from scratch, meaning that you can produce
your very own custom typeface.

Incredible typography: Logo design inspiration

Understanding font psychology, and how different typefaces can provoke different emotions, is
key to figuring out which typography you need to use to communicate the right things about your
brand. In fact, the font you use for your logo could even be a part of your differentiation strategy.

Of course, choosing the perfect font isn’t always as simple as it seems. Not only do you have to
find something that will help you to stand out in the marketplace, but you also need to browse
through thousands of potential pre-existing fonts before you can begin to consider whether
choosing a custom option is right for you.
One of the simplest ways to get started when using typography in logo design, is with a little
inspiration from some of the biggest brands in the world. By checking out some of the major
competitors in the marketplace, you can see how other companies have used inspirational
typography to their advantage.

1. Innocent Smoothies

When it comes to typography logo design inspiration, Innocent Smoothies are a perfect example
of a company who have used the friendly nature of “sans serif” font to their advantage.
Promoting themselves as creators of drinks that are healthy and environmentally conscious,
Innocent have chosen a smooth, simple, and effective typeface that portrays a straight-forward
sense of goodness.
2. Tropicana

Another beverage-based brand, Tropicana have chosen a decorative font to portray themselves
as being fun and interesting, as well as healthy. The combination of the green colouring in their
logo, the leaf accent, and the bouncy, unique typography helps Tropicana to showcase a
natural, but engaging brand to their customers.
3. Pepsi

A perfect insight into how simple typography in logo design can be combined with custom flairs,
Pepsi’s typeface and logo are instantly recognisable. The subtle wavy cross on the “e”, evokes
thoughts of a glass of refreshing Pepsi, while showing off the company’s fun personality. It’s no
wonder that Pepsi have changed their logo very little over the years.
4. TUI

For their foray into the world of typography psychology, TUI (formally known as Thomson)
chose a sans-serif font in bright bold red. The font is authentic, and simple with chunky letters
that convey the fun behind the idea of travel. The smiley-faced graphic beside the name
reminds customers of the joy that comes with family holidays, while the bold typography
indicates a sense of stability and safety – reassuring clients that TUI can keep you safe on your
adventures.
5. MailChimp

The handwritten script logo of MailChimp reflects the informal and friendly nature of the brand,
which works perfectly alongside the adorable monkey mascot that they often include in their
logo. MailChimp is a great example of typography logo design inspiration, because it shows how
a simple piece of text can be used to convey fun, creativity, and community – everything that
MailChimp represents.
6. FedEx

Finally, it’s hard to create a list of typographic logos without paying some attention to the
“FedEx” icon. Designed in 1994, the FedEx logo has remained largely unchanged throughout
the years, acting as proof that clever, yet simple type-based logos can continue to be just as
effective as the decades pass. One of the most appealing parts of this use of font psychology, is
the arrow shape in the white space between the E and the X, which demonstrates the
company’s commitment to speedy delivery.
How to choose typography in logo design

By this point, you should have plenty of typography inspiration, and background into font
psychology that you can use to help you design the perfect logo. However, there may be a little
more that you need to think about before you can rest assured that you’ve chosen the ideal font.

Many businesses are tempted to jump head-first into choosing a typeface that’s unique and fun,
but differentiation is just one of the qualities that you need to keep in mind. A font needs to be
more than just beautiful in your logo, it also has to be readable, and meaningful too.

Many experts agree that selecting the right font is key to creating a beautiful logo. With the
amount of options available reaching somewhere in the hundreds of thousands, it’s a good idea
to have a few tips in mind when you’re narrowing down your options. Let us get you started.

Step 1: Clarify the identity of your brand

Before you can begin browsing through font options, you need to make sure that you fully
understand your brand identity, and the image you’re trying to portray. Ask yourself what you
want your customers to feel and think when they’re looking at the imagery around your
company. What thoughts do you want to elicit with nothing more than your name and logo?

Even a basic understanding of your brand identity should be enough to help you decide which
fonts simply aren’t appropriate for your company. For instance, a corporate law firm won’t
choose the same font as a fashion company for young women. Defining your image is the first
step to making logo design much simpler.

Step 2: Identify your target audience

If you want to choose and create the perfect logo, then you need a thorough understanding of
your customers, and their preferences in terms of shapes, styles, and colours. One of the
easiest ways to make sure that you’re going to have the right impression on the right audience,
is to look at your existing fans, or consider creating a user persona.

A close examination of your target market should help you to choose a few words that describe
them best. This might seem like hard work, but remember that most successful branding comes
from appealing to your target market and your own personal sense of style at the same time.

Step 3: Consider what your competitors are doing

Generally, it’s a good idea to be aware of what your competitors are doing – regardless of
whether you’re designing a new website, or creating a logo. This isn’t because you should be
stealing their ideas, but because you want to make sure that you’re setting yourself apart from
them in the market.

Analysing your competitors can also help you to learn more about what they’ve done right, or
wrong in the market, so you can take advantage of their missed opportunities. Try looking at
some of the major people in your industry, and ask yourself what you can learn from their use of
font psychology.

Step 4: Keep your choices simple and timeless

Typography psychology might be complicated, but your font shouldn’t be. In fact, readability or
“legibility” is essential when designing your logo. After all, if your customers don’t have any idea
what the name of your business is, they might decide to avoid doing business with you entirely.
While you want your logo to look beautiful, readability should always come first.

Make sure that you don’t get caught up in any passing fads either. Some of us will remember
the “disco” fonts of the late 70s that looked more like balloon animals than letters. They were all
the rage for a couple of years, but they also disappeared without a trace. You want your logo to
be as timeless as possible, so keep that in mind when looking for typography inspiration.

Step 5: Think about how your logo will look in different media

Finally, once you’ve narrowed your options down as much as possible, you’ll need to see how
they look when displayed in different formats. Inspirational typography doesn’t just appear
as part of your online presence, it will also be printed on brand communications and brochures,
stationery, across your advertising campaigns and even billboards in some scenarios.

Certain fonts won’t look as attractive when they’re plastered across a building as they do when
they’re narrowed down into a tiny icon. Ideally, you should play around with different options,
and ask the design agency you work with to consider how your logo will appear on different
media to limit your risk of long-term problems.
Inspirational typography: Finding your font

Designing a beautiful, recognisable brand logo that resonates with multiple audiences across
various platforms and media is an incredibly daunting task. With so many different decisions to
make, it’s easy to overlook one of the most important details in your design: the font that will
convey your unique brand identity.

Though typography might not be considered as often as colour and shape when it comes to
logo design, the truth is that it can be just as important. Just look at Coca-Cola, for instance, a
company that’s managed to transform simple sweeping script into the perfect representation of
one of the world’s favourite carbonated drinks.

If you want your name to stand out on your logo, then it’s crucial to remember that the
appearance of the text is almost as important as the word itself. While your name has a part to
play in brand awareness, if the style and shape of your letters can’t pique your customer’s
interest, then you might lose out on the brand recognition you crave.

In a world where your logo is often the first point of contact you’ll have with your audience, you
can’t afford to miss out on choosing the perfect font. Understanding typography psychology, the
personality that different styles convey, and how you can impact customer feeling with your
choice of text could mean that you instantly outshine your competitors. Choose your type wisely.

Logos, Marketing, Naming, & Branding. (2021, January 21). Font Psychology And Typography
Inspiration In Logo Design. Fabrik Brands. https://fabrikbrands.com/font-psychology-and-
typography-inspiration-in-logo-design/.
Beginning Graphic Design: Typography. GCFGlobal.org. https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/beginning-
graphic-design/typography/1/.

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Typography. Encyclopædia Britannica.

https://www.britannica.com/technology/typography.

Material Design. https://material.io/design/typography/understanding-typography.html#type-

properties.