Choosing the Right Font for the Job

By Black Bear Design on 09/9/2015

Font choice seems like a daunting task. There are millions of fonts available for your use. The hard part is not finding a font, but finding the right font. There are no simple rules about font choice, but don’t despair. At Black Bear Design Group, our designers have a few tips to help you narrow down your choices.

Application

First, you must consider the intended use of the font. What is the primary purpose of the design? A font that looks great as initials in a logo may not work as well for text on a menu. Take your audience into account. Remember who will be viewing your font selection and adjust.

Legibility

The font’s application leads us to legibility. If you are using a font for body copy (ex: this article) choose a font with high readability. Your readers should be able to get through your text with ease. Some fonts are intended for headline use, and tend to be more decorative. These fonts can look great in small doses, but never as body copy. Make sure your font is at a legible size as well. Note the difference in the two font styles below. One is very easy to read, and the other much more difficult. Which one do you prefer for article text?

Contrast

If you’re using two or more fonts, remember that they must harmonize. Contrast is key. Fonts with negligible differences do not usually complement each other. Look for striking but complimentary differences. Fonts have personalities just like people, so make sure they get along. Establish a dominant font and keep that dominance throughout your design.

Attitude

As we mentioned before, all fonts have attitudes and personalities just like people. Keep your audience in mind as you consider a font’s attitude. What is your design trying to say? What do you want people to know after viewing it? What’s your end goal? Find the answers to these questions and carry them out through font choice. View the font selections below. What qualities do you perceive from each?

Font Styles

We could write extensive essays about font categorization and type classification. Instead we’ve broken them down into some common categories to aid your search for the perfect font.