Choosing the right logo for your brand is a key moment in your overall brand strategy. We can freely say that the font represents the soul of a certain written word, that is, it determines the energy of the entire brand. If “the universe was created by the word of God”, then “the brand was created by the font choice of a designer”!
It is estimated that there are over a million different fonts today, and choosing the right solution for a particular brand is not an easy task. You can easily get lost in the forest of the logo ideas you might have! That is why it is good to know the psychology of fonts and what typography as science has discovered and established throughout history as generally accepted knowledge about fonts.
Classifying font types (styles) is often the subject of various discussions among designers, but we can generally agree that there are four basic font types: serif, sans serif, script, and decorative (or display) type.
Some consider “slab serif” fonts as a special category of fonts, in which case the classification includes five types of fonts, but the most common classification counts the four listed types, understanding “slab serif” as a subset of serif fonts. In addition, some classifications include even “handwritten” fonts as a special type of font, so they list six types of fonts. Anyway, we will stick to the basic ones, so here is the guide to the basic font types!
Serif Fonts
Serif fonts are typefaces that have serifs (extra strokes on the ends of their letterforms) and they are the oldest ones with their origins in the Latin alphabet. Even if they started to be used (carved into stone) in ancient times these fonts are not less popular today.
Today, serif fonts are widely used by many famous brands, and they are often associated with tradition, old, culture, sophistication, elegance, strength, trust, respectability, and reliability.
Examples of serif fonts are Times New Roman, Georgia, Perpetua, etc.
Serif fonts can be divided even further into several subcategories and the most common are Old Style, Classical, Neo-Classical, Slab, Transitional, Clarendon, Glyphic, and Didone.
Some of the most iconic brands using serif fonts are Zara, J.P. Morgan, Vogue, Tiffany & Co, and New York Times.
- associated with “tradition, elegance, respectability”
- brands that are using it: New York Times, J.P. Morgan, Zara
- popular fonts: Times New Roman, Georgia, Perpetua
Sans Serif Fonts
Sans serif fonts are the ones that do not have strokes on the ends of their letterforms and they are perceived as more modern, sleeker, and bolder fonts than serif fonts.
Examples of sans serif fonts are Arial, Roboto, and Helvetica.
Sans serif fonts became more popular in the 19th century, and subcategories of Sans Serif fonts are Grotesque, Square, Humanistic, and Geometric.
“Straight forward!” could be a term to describe the energy of sans serif fonts. They emphasize a clear message, strength, and in a way a modern lifestyle. Often used by big digital and tech brands.
Some of the brands that are using these fonts in their logos are Google, Mastercard, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Jeep.
- associated with “clarity, strength, modern lifestyle”
- brands that are using it: Google, Mastercard, LinkedIn
- popular fonts: Arial, Helvetica, Roboto
Script Fonts
The cursive handwriting style is the main characteristic of script fonts. The energy of uniqueness, style, strength, elegance, creativity, freedom, emotion, and romance belongs to script fonts.
The script fonts subcategories are Formal, Casual, Calligraphic, and Blackletter & Lombardic.
Typical examples of script typefaces are Vivaldi, Rage Italic, and Mistral.
Many brands are using script fonts and some of them are Johnson & Johnson, Instagram, Ford, and The Coca Cola Co.
- associated with “style, freedom, emotion”
- brands that are using it: The Coca Cola Co., Instagram, Ford
- popular fonts: Vivaldi, Rage Italic, Mistral
Decorative (Display) Fonts
Decorative typefaces are popular for headlines and similar situations where a clear and strong message is needed. They are always combining various styles and graphics, so they are very eye-catchy. They are appealing and unique, and they are having strength as the basic characteristic.
They are especially distinguished by their wide application in the industrial and business spheres, so these are real true fonts for branding. In fact, it is such a large and wide range that it may be impossible to include them in one common group. They have a wide range of styles – from digital modern styles to handwritten styles. Many good examples of logo solutions based on decorative fonts can be found on 48hourslogo.com.
The most common classification of the subcategories of decorative fonts: Grunge, Psychedelic, and Graffiti.
Examples of decorative fonts are Bungers, Veteran Typewriter, and ITC AfterShock.
The big global brands are very into this type of font. We are going to mention a few: Disney, Lego, McDonald’s, and Fanta.
- associated with “strong message, eye-catchy, strength”
- brands that are using it: Disney, Lego, Fanta
- popular fonts: Bungers, ITC AfterShock, Veteran Typewriter