My name is Laura and whilst I have been here on work experience I have been researching the differences between the font styles and the effect they have on a design. In this post I have put together some information that will hopefully develop your understanding of the different font styles and their uses.
A sans serif font is a font that does not include the 'serifs' which are the little tags on the ends on letters. These fonts are usually used in large blocks of text as they are easy and clear to see, making it easier for people to process and understand .This aspect makes them common in children's media as they are easy to understand.
Big marketing brands also lean towards a sans serif fonts as they convey minimalism, simplicity and straightforwardness. Sans Serif fonts are often used on digital formats as the clean and sharp lines appear nicley on screens. This also connects to the modern and futuristic connotation sans serif fonts have.
Serif fonts are seen as very aesthetic, along with this they are also very legible at a small scale, as they help distinguish between letterforms, which creates flow when you are reading. Serif fonts evoke feelings of history, tradition and honesty along with being more formal and classic, This makes them more common in books and letters.
Big brands use Serif fonts as they offer as unique visual opportunities that many corporate businesses don't have, Serif fonts also provide a timeless and traditional look which puts customers trust into a company.
Script fonts are connected by the letters, they have joinings in between the letters which make them hard to read in big paragraphs of text. Therefore script fonts are more for titles and short decorative bits of text. Script fonts are usually used for display or for trade printing.
Big companies use these fonts to provide a hand-written effect, these fonts are often authentic and look like handwriting, which connotates to customers that it is homemade and lots of care has gone into making the design. Script fonts are also particularly more feminine and elegant.
This photo is showing well-known brands and their use of different font styles. Coca Cola is a well known drink brand that is authentic and this is communicated by the use of a script font, this drink will stand out on shelves as not many drinks have this style of font. Sony is a well known electronic company that is presented as timeless and aesthetic which is shown by a serif font, this links to their historical side as this company has been running for 77 years. Netflix has a very minimalistic logo, using a sans serif font which is very modern, they are a streaming service which is meant their logo is mainly online, meaning that their logo has to covert easily through multiple digital platforms.
Serif, sans serif and script fonts compliment each other extremely well. They provide a balance and a clear difference between texts. Serif fonts are usually too similar and provide no contrast to the original font, so pairing it with a sans serif font allows for a more effective contrast. Which enhances your work immensely.
Thank you! Your message has been sent.
Someone from Spi-des-ign will contact you soon.
