Importance of Typography for Businesses

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Adrian

Typography is an art form in which text is composed by arranging physical types, providing a legible and appealing written language. Used in everyday life, typography is an extension of your brand’s voice and identity. Understanding how typography can influence consumers’ opinions about your brand will help you design your business’ typography.

Brand Identity

In both logos and other text, typography becomes your brand’s identity and personality, as it enables the public to instantly recognise your business. The used fonts stand out and become iconic; McDonald’s, for example, has a very distinct and recognisable ‘M’ as the company logo. Consistency is an important factor not only to help consumers remember your brand, but also in the media.

Digital media is an increasingly deciding factor in marketing strategies, and applying distinctive web fonts and colours to your company website is essential. Custom typography is usually the answer to creating a clear brand identity, both in print and in digital.

Credibility

Documentary filmmaker Errol Morris, frequent contributor to the New York Times’s Opinionator blog, asked approximately 45,000 readers to examine a passage from The Beginning of Infinity, written by physicist David Deutsch. The text was about the unlikelihood that Earth will ever be destroyed by an asteroid. Following this reading, the audience was asked to answer a survey on whether they believed the sentiment to be true and how confident they were about it.

The survey, however, didn’t explain what the real test was. Animator Benjamin Berman had been asked to develop a program to alter the typeface of the passage, making it appear in different typefaces to every reader. For every 1,000 respondents, 5 agreed with the passage when it was written in Baskerville than when it was written in Helvetica.

Different typefaces can slightly influence opinion, making a statement more or less believable. Comic Sans has been used as an example of non-credibility due to its whimsical nature. It transmits a sense of informality that doesn’t translate properly for business ventures.

First Impressions

Choosing your font isn’t a decision to take lightly, as it’s one of the first points of contact with prospective consumers. First impressions are hard to replace, especially if they were negative. Consider what you wish for your audience to feel and think when they see your brand’s logo for the first time. Fonts can completely alter how readers receive your message.

As professionals with understanding on how important branding is to your business, at Colin Cross Printers we deliver high quality and reliable printing services. If you want to know more about how we can help you get your printed products right the first time, contact us on 01995 602288 to speak to our friendly team.

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