Font Psychology
Hello Creatives!
Let’s talk about font psychology as it pertains to personal branding. This is a fun topic and you can really dig deep into this for days if you wanted to. But we’ll go over some basics.
What is font psychology?
Essentially, font psychology is the study of the emotions, thoughts and feelings that are evoked by different font styles. We’ll dig into the basic terms for fonts in a minute, but the basic concept for font psychology is that font can impact the aesthetic of a design on a visceral level.
Why does font psychology matter for personal branding?
Why does font psychology matter for personal branding? Well, because your brand’s personality can only be conveyed in a certain way and some fonts may be inappropriate for you to use as a brand. Would you expect a law firm to use a cutesy cursive font or an ultra feminine boutique to use a bolded Times New Roman font? No. So to use those fonts in those ways would be counterintuitive to the brand’s personality.
Basic Terms for Fonts
Let’s briefly go over the different types of font families there are. This is not an exhaustive list, but it’ll get you started in your research.
Serif:
Serif fonts are characterized by tails or tapered ends on the design of the letters. Common examples include Times New Roman and Baskerville.
San Serif:
In contrast to serif fonts, san serif fonts don’t have the little tails on the letters. Common examples include Arial and Helvetica.
Modern
Don’t be confused by the term “modern” this font style emerged in the late 18th century and is characterized by contrasting thick and thin lines within the font type. Common examples include Bononi and Didot.
Script
Script fonts are cursive or fonts that look hand written. Common examples include Lucida Script and Lobster.
Display
Display fonts are unique fonts beyond the typical categories that can easily describe other fonts and are often used for logos.
What each font family means
Serif:
Serif fonts convey traditional, respectable and classic branding
San Serif:
San Serif fonts convey stability, clean and professional
Modern
Modern typefaces are good for brands that want to exude sophistication and class
Script
Script fonts evoke playfulness and creativity, meant to create a personal touch to an otherwise faceless brand
Display
Display fonts are meant to awaken the creative in all of us. They are fun, funky and special. And they are great for creating one-of-a-kind branding.
I hope this was helpful to jumpstart your research into branding. If you’d like to learn more about the basics of fonts, feel free to check out my self-paced course on the basics of branding.
Until Next Time,
Rochele