Importance of Typography in Branding

The most important thing in branding is visual appeal. If you are not using the right visual elements for your brand, you're already starting on the wrong foot.

One of the most important things in this aspect is typography. If you don't choose proper typography for your business, the chances of outshining your competitors are slim. That's why graphic designers often discuss brand messages and how they can incorporate them using relevant typography.

Many fonts and styles are available, making selection a fun experience. You can choose from different fonts and show your creativity. Just think out of the box.

But is typography only a cherry for the eye and nothing else? No.

It has a lot of significance and can capture the attention of your target audience. Make them feel connected to your brand and much more. You can even influence their purchase decisions.

In this blog, you'll learn what typography is and how powerful it is for branding. It can transform your brand identity. So let's get started.

What Is Typography?

Typography is the practice of arranging type and processing data for printing purposes. But that's a general definition. If we go much deeper, then you'll learn more about it.

It is the art and technique of arranging and designing type, including fonts, letters, numbers, and symbols, to make written language visually appealing and readable. It doesn't want your content to look out of the place.

But what huge role does it play in printing text?

Basically, there are certain crucial elements of typography. By incorporating them, you create effective communication through written or printed text.

By changing the font or its size, you can make people feel certain emotions. Ask yourself how you want your target audience to feel when they come across your text.

Let's understand it better with an example.

A bank wants to make people trust them. They want to create a sense of stability so that people start opening their accounts in the bank. They should begin with a crucial aspect of typography: choosing an appropriate font.

So, based on their goal, the font will also change.

The company wants to convey stability and tradition – use a traditional serif font (with decorative strokes)
The company wants people to view them as innovative and modern – use futuristic sans-serif font (clean and modern)

Likewise, there is an entire study about choosing the right font. After all, it has a deep impact on your brand. It's worth investing your time in this strategy.

Elements Of Typography

Typography is incomplete without these elements. They have a huge impact on the perception of your brand. It creates a unique brand experience for your customers. It makes your target audience feel super special.

Here are some of the most important elements that you should know.

Typefaces And Fonts

They are often used interchangeably. You might hear someone using the terms typefaces and fonts interchangeably. So, are they 100% the same?

No.

A typeface is the lettering style of your font. It includes the size of your font, its thickness, and its slope. However, the core design element remains the same. You'll find several variations of typeface.

Some text pieces will be italic cursive, while others are bold.

What are these variations?

These are known as a font.

Examples of typefaces: Arial, Helvetica, and Calibri
Examples of fonts: Arial Narrow 12pt, Arial Bold 18pt

While discussing typefaces, you must know that it has four different kinds.

Serif
Script
Decorative
Sans serif

An experienced graphic designer knows the difference between these fonts. They usually use serif and sans-serif fonts. But decorative fonts are used less.

Do you know why?

It's because these fonts can reduce the readability. So, to provide a seamless user experience, it's essential to use proper fonts. In short, there are different font categories, and you can choose a suitable font for your brand. A bad font pairing can be disastrous, so be sure to understand the art of typography.

Font Color

Choosing the right color is extremely important, whether it's your brand campaign, social media post, or anything that includes typography. By picking the right color, you set the tone and enhance readability.

However, it's important to know that if your font is too light, it can't be read easily. So what should you do in this case?

If you choose light colors, then add dark colors to enhance the typography.

Text Alignment

Text alignment refers to the horizontal positioning of text within a defined space, such as a paragraph, page, or document. It determines how text is positioned in relation to that space's left and right margins.

There are four types of alignment. Here is what you need to know about them:

Left Alignment (Flush Left): Text starts at the left margin and runs to the right. Common in left-to-right reading languages like English.
Center Alignment: Text is positioned evenly between the left and right margins, creating a balanced appearance.
Right Alignment (Flush Right): Text starts at the right margin and runs to the left. Used less frequently, often in right-to-left reading languages.
Justified Alignment: Text aligns with the left and right margins, creating straight edges but may result in uneven word spacing.

You might have noticed that the most common alignment is left on web pages because people start reading from the left side. Remember to have consistent spacing throughout your content.

White Space Around Text

It's also known as "negative space" or "padding," which refers to the empty or blank areas surrounding blocks of text or other content within a document, webpage, or design layout.

It is the space between the text and the edges of its container, such as a page, text box, or column. If you add too much space, the reader can get bored; meanwhile, adding little space can lead to low readability levels.

Most designers recommend using line spacing of 150%, or 1.5 times.

Hierarchy

With hierarchy, you create a prominent distinction between various pieces of content. While reading this blog, you must have noticed that I've used H1 heading, H2 heading, and body text.

Why?

I used primary and secondary headings to create a visual hierarchy. It makes the blog posts more digestible.

What Is Important Of Typography In Branding?

Now that you know the basics about typography, it's time to understand how it affects your branding. A business must build a connection with the audience. You need to make them trust you and give them an enjoyable experience. Let's dive into understanding its importance.

1. It Shapes Your Brand Image

Words have a huge impact on our lives. People view your brand through words. It's an important law of marketing as well. That's why you must use it properly.

People view those words via television advertisements, checking your website or social media, etc., and associate them with your brand. It's an experience for customers.

Most definitely, you want your customers to have an enjoyable experience. Branding ensures your target audience has a positive experience with your services and products.

Many web users have stated that small fonts, poor contrast or cursive fonts make them want to leave the website. It makes their experience poor. Why?

Because the font is difficult to read, it stresses their eyes.

So don't ignore these seemingly minor typography errors. Because they lead to:

Poor typography → Customer can't read → Poor customer service → Bad brand experience → Poor brand impact

2. It's Visual Key To Your Brand Narrative

Typography is not limited to font size only. It also tells about the values of your brand. The color you choose has a huge impact on your customers.

Have you ever wondered why Facebook uses blue color?

Facebook uses a custom typeface and blue color to create a recognizable and trustworthy brand identity. That's how you build a long-term impact on your audience.

Even font has different meanings. You can create your unique tone and effect using fonts. Just like Coca-Cola. They follow this approach:

Cursive Font + Bright Color

They use a distinctive cursive font for their logo, the "Spencerian Script." Using red as the primary color is associated with excitement and energy. It aligns with the brand's message of happiness.

3. You Can Strengthen Brand Recognition

Nowadays, building brand recognition is more important than ever. You can't stand out in the market if your brand is not easily recognizable. Typography is a huge part of the visual identity of your brand.

It is how your audience will remember you and perceive you.

Big brands like Disney, Harry Potter, and Red Bull have aced this tactic. If I show you their fonts, you'll recognize these companies within seconds. Some popular brands go one step ahead and create their typefaces. Why?

To create their own unique brand identity. These companies are Netflix, Airbnb, and Apple.

4. Makes First Impression Count

There is a huge myth that branding includes your logo only. Which is completely false. It's not about your logo alone. Anything that includes text is a part of typography in one way or another. So, if we start naming them, it includes:

Logo
Website
Social media
Marketing brochures
Anything that includes words

Typography is often the first thing your audience notices about your brand. So it's highly important to put extra effort into improving it.

5. Create a Professional And Trustworthy Brand Image

If you use the right typography, then it increases the credibility of your brand. You're choosing high-quality fonts, the right colors, etc., creating a unique and positive brand image and visual identity.

But what if you use cheap fonts?

It will make your brand look unprofessional and scam. Even if a potential customer reaches out, the poor visual brand identity will make them suspect your credibility.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, typography is your way of presenting your text. Any company working on brand identity should consider diving deeper into typography. It gives your brand a context and a personality.

What are the results?

Better conversions, good relationships with your customers, and the list of benefits continues. It sets your brand on the path of continuous growth.

Brands who underestimate the power of this amazing branding strategy soon regret it. It's a craft that gets you closer to the heart of your customers and achieving your business goals.

It has an immense impact on your audience, and that's why it has huge importance in building an unshakable brand identity.

Typography is not a strategy that you can implement by watching a few tutorials on YouTube. Working with an expert who knows how typography works and what's most relevant to your business is important.

If you want your campaign or business to be ROI-driven, don't choose DIY. Instead, get help from experts in this area.