Typography 101: Choosing Fonts for Your Brand

Typography Is Silent Communication

Before someone reads your words, they see your fonts. The right fonts make your brand feel professional. The wrong fonts make it feel unprofessional, even if the words are great.

This is why major brands invest heavily in custom fonts. Fonts matter.

Two Font Categories

Serif Fonts (Traditional)

Serifs are small lines at the end of letters. Serif fonts feel traditional, established, and formal.

Examples: Georgia, Times New Roman, Merriweather

Best for: Law firms, publications, luxury brands, traditional businesses

Note: Serif fonts are harder to read on screens (less contrast). Better for print.

Sans-Serif Fonts (Modern)

Sans-serif means no serifs. These fonts feel modern, clean, and contemporary.

Examples: Helvetica, Open Sans, Montserrat, Roboto

Best for: Tech companies, startups, modern brands, websites

Note: Sans-serif fonts are easier to read on screens. Better for web.

The Font System: Use 2 Fonts, Not 5

A strong brand uses exactly 2 fonts:

1. Heading Font (distinctive, can be bold)

2. Body Font (readable, usually smaller)

Example: Montserrat for headings, Open Sans for body text. That's it.

More than 2 fonts = chaotic. One font everywhere = boring.

How to Choose Your Fonts

Step 1: Define Your Brand Personality

• Professional or playful?
• Modern or traditional?
• Bold or subtle?
• Luxury or accessible?

Your personality guides your font choice.

Step 2: Check Readability

Open a potential font on your website. Is it readable at small sizes (12-14px)? If you have to strain to read it, it's not a good body font.

Step 3: Ensure Variety

Your heading and body fonts should look different enough that they're clearly separate. If they look the same, why use two?

Step 4: Check Web Performance

Using custom fonts slows down your website. Limit to 2 weights per font (e.g., regular and bold).

Best resource: Google Fonts (free, optimized for web)

Font Pairing Examples

Modern + Professional: Montserrat (headings) + Open Sans (body)

Creative + Elegant: Playfair Display (headings) + Lato (body)

Technical + Clean: Roboto (headings) + Roboto (body, lighter weight)

Luxury + Traditional: Merriweather (headings) + Merriweather (body)

Common Typography Mistakes

Mistake 1: Too Many Font Weights – If you use 5 different font sizes and weights, it looks chaotic. Stick to 2-3 weights max.

Mistake 2: Decorative Fonts for Body Text – Decorative fonts look fun but are hard to read in long paragraphs. Use them only for headlines.

Mistake 3: Poor Contrast – Light gray text on white background is unreadable. Use dark text on light backgrounds.

Mistake 4: Lines Too Long – Reading lines longer than 80 characters is hard. Keep line width to 50-80 characters max.

The Technical Details

Line height: 1.5-1.8x font size for readability (e.g., 16px font should have 24px line height)

Letter spacing: Slightly increased spacing (0.5-1px) improves readability

Font size: Body text should be 14-16px minimum (bigger on mobile)

Typography Resources

• Google Fonts: Free, web-optimized fonts
• Font Pair: fontpair.co shows proven font combinations
• Contrast Checker: Check if your text is readable (WCAG standards)

Next Step

Audit your current fonts. Do you have 2 or 5? Do they match your brand personality? If you're using more than 2 fonts, consolidate to 2.

A consistent font system signals professionalism and makes your brand recognizable.