Tired of using the same staple fonts over and over again? Fonts like Arial and Times New Roman have their place but often are overused due to their default settings. Update your font choices for instantly improved and eye-catching design.
Here are some of our favorite fonts in 5 popular font categories:
Serif
Serifs (the small tails at the ends of letters) make each letter more defined and therefore recognizable, allowing us to read quickly. They are typically used in print media, which is why you’ll see news sites like the New York Times and Forbes using serif fonts for their web content. It elicits a feeling of trust and authority. If you want to keep the bulk of your copy in a sans serif font, try using a serif for your headers — it’ll add contrast and create a published, book-like feeling (The Wall Street Journal does this).
You know: Times New Roman
Check out: Encorpada Pro, ITC Garamond, Arno Pro
Sans Serif
Sans serif is great for headlines in print, and is also a more legible font type when copy is being viewed on a small screen. If you’re on a desktop or tablet, sans serif is usually the better choice because the content is being displayed at a much lower resolution. Instead of just using sans serif for your website copy, experiment with a bolder sans serif for page headers, infographics, and other eye-catching design elements.
You know: Arial
Check out: Burlingame, Avenir, Agenda
Script (Formal)
Typically used in invitations and holiday cards, formal script fonts are used as a decorative touch or elegant accent. There are now a greater variety of script fonts, expanding the opportunities to use them in design. You’ll now see them being used to convey personality and playfulness. But don’t go overboard or you’ll bombard your reader with too many frills. Here are a few quick tips.
You know: Brush Script
Check out: Masetra, Samantha Script, Mousse Script
Handwriting
Handwritten fonts are the more casual spinoff of script fonts, and have been gaining more popularity as designers experiment more with typography as a primary design element. In a digital world, handwritten fonts bring a tactile feel to the screen, instantly personalizing the content.
You know: Bradley Hand
Check out: Borden, KG Summer Sunshine, Jasmina FY
Fixed Width (Monospaced)
This font type has characters that are the same width, i.e. each letter’s horizontal length is the same. Monospaced fonts were originally invented to “meet the mechanical requirements of typewriters,” and are often used today by software engineers. But because of the liberty designers are taking with font use in creating bold websites and catchy infographics, you’ll see monospaced fonts appear more often in digital graphics.
You know: Courier
Check out: Saturday Sans, Novella Bold, Orator Medium
Need expert advice on font choice for your next big project? We’d love to help. Contact Us.
