I learned the significance of type early in my design career. Working at an advertising agency creating magazine ads and billboards with nothing but a photo and a witty tagline. You quickly learn how crucial font selection can be.
It seems new designers feel the need to use their entire font library on one graphic. I’m not sure why, but I was guilty too. Maybe we think the more fonts, the more it’s “designed.” Whatever the reason, it’s no bueno. Less is more. I usually choose no more than two fonts for a design. That goes for logos, brochures, websites, etc. It keeps things simple and doesn’t overwhelm the design.
My Top San-Serif Fonts
My Top Serif Fonts
I steer clear of Comic Sans, Curlz MT and Papyrus. So should you.
Some designs already use great fonts but fall short when it comes to kerning. It makes a huge difference. Some letters work well together while others have enough space to drive a mack truck through. If type is the focus, it needs to be kerned. (ex: logos, headlines, taglines)
Sometimes the most difficult direction in design is simplicity. By practicing typographical restraint and spending more time on the letters themselves, you can match your stylish designs with beautiful typography. Now who wouldn’t want that?
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