The Overlooked Element: Typography Tips
As companies continue to shift more and more to digital media, it seems that
less and less emphasis is being put on typography. But the style of letters in
the design you use can enhance, or detract, from what the message is actually
trying to say.
The right typography can give products and collateral more presence and more
immediacy, whether seen while flipping through a magazine or standing in front
of a store. What causes your customer to stop and take notice is what’s
important. To sell your message in one or two seconds, the right balance
between type and image, and the right hierarchy among them, is key.
Think of typography as the instrument your company is using to play its song.
Pick the right one, and people remember the song. Pick the wrong one, and all
people remember is that it didn’t sound right. Still not convinced? Think about
it this way: a heavy metal band and a classical symphony can play the same
song, but each creates a completely different feel because of the instruments
they choose.
When a company wants to get its message out, it often looks at word choice but
overlooks the typography, seeing it as less important. Besides being part of
the imagery itself, typography is the main tool a designer has to help
establish a brand.
Here are some quick pointers to think about when considering the typography for
your projects.
Don’t Fight It, Use It
Too often, type is treated as an intrusion on a design, or a necessary evil, so
designers try to minimize it instead of making it work with the image part of
the project. Instead, the whole piece should be a visual. You just have to find
the right balance between the words and the image.
Find the Font That Fits
When thinking about typography, designers should be asking, “What is the
personality of the product I’m selling or the message I’m trying to convey?”
For example, is it a more male- or female-oriented product or target audience?
Is it geared toward 20-somethings or senior citizens? Is a hard or soft sell
needed? Is it something to be used short-term or for many years? Should it be
classic and elegant or fun and faddish? The answers will steer you to the
appropriate visual style of typography.
Contrast
The reason for using different fonts and type styles is to create contrast,
which directs the reader through the project. Changing the contrast can be
accomplished by altering not only the font, but also the weight, form and
structure.
Brady Communications recently completed the redesign of the Web site for
Tucor, which included a change in the typography. By increasing the
weight, as well as finding a font and color that fit the company’s brand, we
were able to effectively improve Tucor’s message to its customers.
Typography on the Web
The increased presence of the Internet has created new challenges for designers
looking to use typography effectively. Simply put, good Web typography is a
really big deal because it’s hard to do well.
Traditionally designers have been frustrated with the limitations of creating
Web pages using rare or unique fonts because the end users may not have that
font installed on their computers, essentially eliminating the impact of the
typography. But the Scalable Inman Flash Replacement, or sIRI, technology looks
to change that by replacing text elements on HTML Web pages with Flash
elements. Unfortunately, sIRI is not yet widely used.
Brady Communications successfully used more playful typography to further
define the brand for
Tippman Sports. By using more unique fonts as images in new areas of
interest and maintaining traditional Web-friendly fonts in others, we were able
to provide an exciting new feel while keeping all the information accessible
and not overloading customers.
Remember that while typography may seem like just a small detail in the grand
scheme of a project, as Cary Grant said, “It takes five hundred small details
to make one favorable impression.”