How to Choose Typefaces for Your Brand
I recommend you select three different typefaces to help shape a consistent visual identity for your brand.
For clarity, it’s important to understand the difference between a typeface and a font: A typeface is a collection of glyphs that are designed as a whole - with a distinct look. A font is one of the glyphs in the collection. For example, a typeface may come in a regular font, an italic font and a bold font. Variations in weights are also considered a variation in the font. For example, Helvetica at 10 points is a font and Helvetica at 12 points is another font.
Most typefaces are designed to offer a variety of fonts within the type family. This means that by choosing three typefaces, you will both establish brand consistency, but also have the flexibility to choose the font combination that works best for your design.
As for process of selection:
1. Choose your body type.
This is the type you use for your long-form writing. Make sure it is easily legible at a small size and offers choices such as regular, bold and italic for typographical emphasis. Serif faces are generally considered easier to read. Most books and newspapers use Serif faces for body type, but you will see a mixture of Serif and Sans Serif on websites.
2. Choose your headline type.
Your headline type - you might think of this as title type - should be easy to read, but you can have a little more fun with it than you should with your body font, as you will typically use it in slightly larger iterations. However, don’t go crazy - we do need to be able to read it. You’ll also want a headline type that comes in various weights and both capital and lowercase letters.
3. Choose your display type.
This is typically a more stylized type that you should use sparingly. I like a display type to have some graphical emphasis, so it both grabs the reader's attention and communicates your brand’s personality. It’s an opportunity to express your essence, so have fun with it.
Finally, make sure your body, headline and display typefaces work well together. If your brand has a loud personality, the net feeling should be loud. If your brand has a soothing personality, the net feeling should be soothing.
