There is a plethora of search results on the internet that will tell you the best font to use right now. They are all wrong.

Well at least, partially wrong for you. Font is like color, layout, images and logo – it needs to be matched to your business correctly so it conveys the right message to your customers. This doesn’t mean you need a specific font designed just for you, but we’d like to encourage you to put more thought into it than simply going with what might be popular according to Google this year.

Some questions to ask yourself:

 

Can you read it?

Even better, can you read it in candlelight, glaring sunlight and dappled shade (or whatever ambient light your customer will be reading under)? Can you still read it if you squint a little? Images and design might be what draws the eye, but text is foremost for information. If customers cannot read it easily, they will skim and miss the point you are trying to get across.

 

Does it convey the right message?

It’s important to match your style. If your product is sleek and minimal, keep your fonts that way. If your product is for children, make it fun and sweet. If you like to see yourself as the classiest in your field, then make sure fonts are classic and regal. But remember the first rule – keep it readable.

 

Is it pretty?

Thirdly, it has to be acceptable to the eye. Although we can’t tell you the right fonts to use, we can tell you some of the wrong ones. Comic Sans tops the list of fonts everyone loves to hate, followed by Brush Script, which is now far overshadowed by more attractive handwritten styles. Papyrus is as old as the hills and should only be used by mythical creatures. Arial is known to be Helvetica’s ugly cousin, and Arial Narrow is even worse. 2012 Olympic Font has to be the least favorite in this office. Also remember that fancy fontwork should be kept to a minimum – partner it with something clean and readable for larger blocks of content.

 

Is it unique?

Perhaps not important for all, but we like to mix things up a bit and make sure the font is not the same one that everyone else is using. You should use every opportunity to show your customers you are different from the competition. There are more fonts out there than we can count at the moment, so you might think ‘helvetica will be ok’, and it will. But do you want OK? Or would FABULOUS be better?