Brands use multiple branding elements to raise awareness and establish themselves as an authority in their respective niches.
When you think of the brands like Facebook and Coca-Cola, it is a fraction of a second required to immediately think of the brand’s logo and have it appear in front of your eyes.
In a competitive marketplace, it is necessary to identify which aspects of your business should be prioritized and used to build the tone of voice and overall purpose of the business.
Website is one of the pivotal points. It is hard to imagine running a successful business these days without a dedicated website. One could argue that social media handles are enough, but a website just makes sense.
From all the different elements that make a website, font is sometimes underused. Or rather, it does not receive as much attention as it should.
Building a website has never been easier, thanks to the available content management systems and solutions. A simple drag-and-drop method can get your website up and running in a matter of minutes.
Website owners then choose a theme. But what determines their choice? The font used in the theme affects the outcome, but the theme’s font is necessarily the default option for all of the websites.
For example, you might want to pick a different font for your blog articles or infographics that you publish on the website. Finding an interesting font by using Glyphy should not take you too long. However, you still have to consider differences between the available fonts and how they influence website visitors.
Be its shape, size, thickness, or style—all these elements make a font what it is. The choice is for the business to determine what font they want to use.
There are 3 major font categories that represent different ideas and leave specific impressions on website visitors.
#1. Handwritten Fonts
As the name suggests, these fonts are written by hand. Or, at least, they look like they were written in cursive.
There might be a few opportunities to actually use your own handwriting that you can then put on the website. For instance, a personal letter in cursive to share with the site’s visitors.
A few notable examples of companies that use handwritten fonts in their logos include Disney, Ford, Kelloggs, and Johnson&Johnson.
Depending on the specifics of a font, a cursive handwritten word with detailed loops and lines is associated with elegance. Youthfulness and whimsicalness can also be attributed to handwritten fonts. Almost a childish-like approach to target younger demographics (Disney).
Would it be wise to exclusively use handwritten fonts throughout the website? It depends on how intricate and difficult to read the font is. If the text is in cursive only, it might look out of place.
On the other hand, Charm or Courgette does not look that bad, unlike Mr Dafoe. If you are planning to use handwritten fonts, be mindful of how they look in the context of a website as a whole.
#2. Decorative Fonts
Probably the broadest category, decorative fonts usually tend to be unique and associated with logos. Lego, ASUS, Nike, and Kool-Aid are great examples of brands that utilize decorative fonts to show off the fun side of their brand.
Similar to handwritten fonts, such as Saira Stencil One should also be approached conservatively.
#3. Serif And Sans-Serif
Sans and Sans-Serif fonts are classic and timeless. As far as content on the website goes, you want to stick to Arial, Times New Roman, Baskerville, or Calibri, to name a few examples.
These fonts are easy on the eye, which means that the reader will not have visual problems observing and absorbing the information even if they are skimming through the text.
Between the two, Sans-Serif represents a more modern approach, which is one of the reasons why easy-going and liberal brands prioritize Sans-Serif over Serif.
On the other hand, Serif has its own advantages as well. Slightly more serious, it offers a certain timelessness that is often lost in other types of fonts.
Closing Thoughts
All in all, different fonts shape your website’s look and brand’s voice. Depending on the occasion, you will want to stick to certain font types.
At the same time, do not be afraid to experiment, especially when you want to show a different side of your brand and connect with your audience. Site visitors might find your content more relatable if you include instances of a custom font throughout the pages.
Ella Marcotte
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