F is for Font (resource list)

Did you know there are now more than 150,000 fonts available for download today!?

As a designer that fills me with a combination of both excitement and shear terror - emotions stemming from the same double-edged sword.

With 150,000+ fonts available, the options for choosing fonts for a brand are almost endless, but with that lies the challenge of trying to find the perfect fonts to bring a brand to life. 

With that in mind, I thought it would be worth looking at some basic principles around choosing fonts for your brand.

The F Rules

Rules can always be broken, but here are a few that are worth sticking to.

Be Timeless

Keep away from trendy fonts when designing your logo.

This one is probably the most important. When it comes to logo design, it's important to think about how your logo will look in two to three years time. Have you chosen a font that will stand that test of time? You can always have fun using trendy fonts in special campaigns, but when it comes to your statement logo, go with the classics.

Another important rule when it comes to your logo font. Don't use it across the rest of your brand for example as a primary or secondary font within your brand. This will dilute the impact of your logo as a standalone piece.  

Less is More

What fun would graphic design be if we couldn't have some fun with more trendy or "statement" fonts? However, it's good to keep them as just that - statement fonts. So by all means, use a statement font in your brand, but don't use it for everything. Overuse will reduce its impact.

Rule of Three

When picking fonts for your brand, it is often good to stick to a few fonts only.

A good rule of thumb here is to look at pairing a serif font with a sans serif font and a brush or script font as a statement font. Using too many fonts across your brand ends up looking like a hot mess with no clear brand direction or cohesiveness. 

Contrast is King

When it comes to font pairing, it's also good to think about contrast. Contrast between fonts can be achieved in several ways - size, weight (thickness), style (serif and sans serif for e.g). Unfortunately, it's not as simple as simply picking two fonts that are greatly different from each other. 

Context is Queen

With such a variety of fonts, you can be really effective with how you use your font choices to convey your brand message.

Try to integrate fonts that do just that. If you are looking for a more retro vibe, have fun with the vintage fonts. Want to convey a softer, more feminine feel, look at the romantic fonts. 

Some Fontastic Resources

Here are a few sites that I love and use often when I need some font inspo and guidance.

• Typegenius : Select a pro font from a dropdown menu and Typegenius will give you recommended font pairings and an example of what they look like together.

• Fonts in Use : A great gallery of sites and design examples showing and detailing the fonts in use. You can also browse through industry types to see examples of fonts and design principles being used in that particular industry.

• Typewolf : Typewolf serves up screen shots of interesting sites and the typography in use on each. There is a site of the day and also a range of "Favourites" and "Top 10" lists to help guide you.

I hope this has been helpful.