Choosing a Font For Your Logo

Graphic designers usually have a reputation for being typography snobs, and I’ll be the first to admit that I AM one of those snobs!

As graphic designers, we know that typography is more than just letters on a page. Its purpose is not only to be pleasing to the eye, but also to be legible and get the message of the brand across.

When creating font systems for brand identity, you need to make intentional choices and consider best practices. Otherwise you run the risk of creating a brand that looks sloppy or mismatched.

In this blog post, I’m going to share what I include when creating a font system for a brand identity, as well as typography styles and how you can use them to fit a brand’s specific style.

Note: If you’re a self-taught designer and maybe not as well-versed in the importance of typography, I highly recommend you look into some online courses or articles so you can deep dive into this topic. Typography knowledge is crucial for understanding how it fits in with the brand ecosystem you’re designing!

What I include in a font system for a brand identity

When creating a brand identity, I will choose the typography for the logo type and the fonts for the client to use throughout their marketing and in the brand identity itself.

If I choose a font for a brand that isn’t available for free in Adobe or Google fonts, I will typically purchase it for my client and then send them the files once the project wraps.

Since I charge higher-end prices for my branding packages, I don’t usually pass along the cost of the fonts to my clients. This is just a personal preference! Whatever you choose to do, just be sure to set those expectations of additional fees in your project proposal.

Understanding font styles

Typography is a wonderful tool to be able to express the brand’s personality that you are designing. Each font style has a unique personality that it conveys.

Depending on the client you’re designing for, you’re going to want to choose typography that matches the brand’s personality and values.

There are quite a few different font styles but let’s go over some of the most common types!

Sans Serif

These fonts are typically more modern and feel minimal and clean. They work really well for a brand that wants to appear fresh and sophisticated.

Sans serif fonts are also great for body copy on websites or in print, and they’re great for bold headings as well. Sans serif fonts tend to be really legible and versatile.

Serif

Serif fonts often feel classic, traditional, and trustworthy. Serif fonts are fantastic for body copy in print and on websites, as well as headings for both print and digital.

If the brand you are creating wants to feel timeless and sophisticated, then using a serif font for the logo type and in body copy or headings is a good fit.

Slab serif is another type of serif, and they tend to be a little more quirky, bold, and confident. They are great for brands that want to feel like they stand out and are unique. Slab serif fonts should only ever be used for headings and logo type, and never for body copy.

Script

Script fonts are more elegant and feminine. They are great for brands that want to feel delicate and more high end.

Because script fonts were really trendy a couple of years ago, they are now a little played out. I would use these sparingly for brand identities.

They really should only be used for short blocks of text - for example, a short heading or a logo type if the name is short. You also never want to use a script font for body copy.

Handwritten

The same rules apply for handwritten fonts. You want to use them sparingly when a brand wants to feel more personal, artistic, or informal.

You should avoid using handwritten fonts for anything other than short headings or a logo type.

Decorative

Decorative fonts are definitely trending right now. They are great for brands that want to be seen as unique and stand out from other brands. They also can feel very dramatic.

They are great for logo type and headings, but I would never use a decorative font for body copy or any larger block of text.

Putting it all together

Once you have an idea of which font style you’ll use for your brand’s logo mark, you can choose supporting fonts to use throughout the brand.

One really great tool I use is Font Pair. It lets you browse free Google fonts and generates pairings for you. If typography isn’t your strong suit or you want to see some suggestions for pairings, it’s a really neat tool to check out!

Tips for pairing brand fonts

• Consider having the logo type be its own, separate font. This way it won’t be competing with any other aspects of the brand and it can stand really strong on its own.

• When choosing additional fonts for the brand, I rarely choose more than two. I make sure to select fonts that complement the brand identity that are legible and will work well in both print and on web.

• Typically I select a different font or font family for the heading, and then another one for the body. Limit yourself to two or three different fonts within one brand.

• Your fonts need to balance each other out in both style and appearance. The best way to see if a font pairs well with another one is to test it out in Adobe! Test out different font combinations and play around with the weights as well.

• Once you have your fonts chosen, you can begin to style them further. This could include all caps, italics, bold, etc. Think about how you want the fonts to be used in the brand so you can provide your client with those guidelines as well!

Typography is a major component of a cohesive brand identity, so as designers we want to be intentional with how we choose and use them within our brand designs.

Hopefully you now have a few ideas of how you can use typography more effectively in your branding projects going forward!

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