Why Typography is Important - Top Tips

The typography used when creating a brand identity is vital to the overall look and feel or 'message' a brand is trying to communicate. Brands have realised the power strong typography can carry, and see it as a worthwhile investment to reinforce their visual offering. Though there is no one size fits all solution when it comes to typography, so it's important to consider options and direction wisely as these choices could have a huge impact on the Brand Identity you're trying to create.

When you reach the point of contacting an agency to create your branding, you have probably considered some sort of brand strategy, or at least have a target market in mind. With this, you will more than likely have an idea of your Brand's personality, or how you would like to communicate and be seen by prospective clients. Good typography can enhance this message by strengthening and adding value to your brand voice.

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"No matter the medium or the audience, type is everywhere that a written message needs to be conveyed," says Lukas Paltram, creative director at leading type design studio Dalton Maag. "Creating a unique expression at that essential level of communication is extremely powerful. It can be a big asset for brands to stand out, and it enables them to use a unique voice in their visual communication."

Having a bespoke typeface designed is always an option when creating your brand. Though this is an expensive and time-consuming route, it ensures you have something that is totally bespoke (hopefully!) and owned by you. The alternative to this is using one of the many typeface providers out there. Adobe and Google are the most broadly used, however, there are plenty of great websites out there offering something more unique, without breaking the bank.

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If you're serious about the branding of your company, and the message you are trying to portray, it's almost essential to bring a designer or agency on board, as Branding & Typography really is a fine art, which if successfully executed, can really enhance your reach and potential as a business, and if unsuccessful, can easily derail something which could have been great.

Here are four reasons why typography should be considered as an equal in the makeup of a brand:

Mood Enhancing

Often it is colour that initially catches our eye. And rightfully so. However, typography and font selection can have a direct and subliminal impact on an audience. Typography is all about subtlety, and it's these subtleties that can portray emotion, personality and unique appeal. All of which are crucial to creating a strong brand identity.

Silence Is Golden

Strong typography often goes unnoticed and can be seen as a silent assassin. Weak typography, on the other hand, stands out like a sore thumb and can be an instant turn off for a prospective customer.

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Deep and Meaningful

As trends in music, fashion and art change through the years, so do the trends in typography. However, when creating a brand or selecting a typeface it's important to create with longevity in mind. What's hot today will more than likely be pretty cold next year..

Powerful Stuff

With the accent of social media popularity, more and more brands are jostelling for attention. So it's imperative you stand out for the right reasons, with strong typographic selections you are far more likely to maintain the attention of your audience for longer periods of time.

If you do find yourself in the position where you're without the luxury of a Graphic Designer or Agency onboard, and you're selecting and setting Type yourself, here are some tips to bare in mind, and potentially get the ball rolling:

Contrast is King

Our eyes are drawn to opposites in many ways. And this is no different in the world of typography. Designers will often use highly contrasting fonts to create a logo which instantly catches the eye. As seen in this example below:

Give it some space

Allowing letters and words some room to breathe is very important, this space allows the eye to digest the composition in the intended way, regarding order and tempo. It's important to experiment with space, and negative space as this can create a whole new dynamic to a composition.

Double it up

Doubling up the point size can be a very effective technique to give order and create contrast. I pin down exactly why this works, but I imagine it's something to do simplifying process for our brains, making it a 'satisfying' combination.

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Use a Grid. Then break it

Once you start looking into it, the world is made up of grids, and the world of graphic design is no different, It's good practice to start working with a grid in place though we are lucky in that we are able to deconstruct and break these grids to create something totally new and original. Be careful though as it's easy to go too far 'off grid' and end up with something which might miss the original intended message.

Typography should only be seen as as an integral part of any brand identity. When executed well it could seal the deal consumers, and when poorly executed it will do the exact opposite. Typography is an artform which has been woven into society for thousands of years, so it's no wonder the power it has over us and our decision making. At Paddle Creative we are well versed in putting the techniques into practice when creating a brand Identity for our clients, and infact thrive off the challenge of creating something everyone involved in the project can feel proud of. If you are looking into options for an existing or future project, please feel free to contact up via our contact page and we will be more than happy to have a chat and see how we can help.