How to Choose the Right Typeface and Colors for Your Brand

The best marketing agency can help you change minds, perceptions and consumer behavior through brand strategy.

Every morning, you have the opportunity to shape how people perceive you that day, simply through the aesthetic choices you make. 

Wardrobe, makeup, shoes, accessories and hairstyle are all tiny decisions that build your aesthetic and personal brand.

The same holds true for your business, where branding decisions like typeface and color send clear messages about who you are long before a potential client, partner or employee reads your “About Me” section. Just like a wardrobe malfunction or bad hair day can hurt your image as a person, so too can a branding faux pas. 

What is a typeface? This is the style of lettering (also called glyphs), like Helvetica or Arial, and is colloquially referred to as a font. In the world of design, a font would include both the typeface and size, such as Helvetica 10 or Helvetica 12. These are the same typeface but technically different fonts.

Here are few questions you should ask yourself before choosing a typeface and color:

What nonverbal cues does my brand send? 

Typefaces are often judged on a scale of seriousness vs. fun, and a good fit should mirror your brand. If your target clients need to see you as traditional and conservative, consider a typeface with a long track record of success like Arial, Courier or Helvetica. If your brand is cutting edge and innovative, consider adopting one of the thousands of fonts that are created each year by software companies like Adobe and Google (like Lars or FS Meridian). Even if your brand is intended to be silly and fun-loving, beware of using fonts like handwriting or script fonts that might be difficult to read.

When choosing colors, be sure to search for “color wheel of emotions” before making your final selections. Colors provide strong psychological cues that can enhance or clash with your brand. It’s not a surprise that brands in the financial and government sectors frequently select blue (trust, loyalty, dependability), while creative brands embrace red (energy, fearlessness), magenta (imagination, passion) or yellow (optimism, happiness).

Is it easy to read?

Don’t make people guess what your name is! Most brands choose block fonts and black (on light backgrounds) or white (on dark backgrounds) lettering to maximize visibility. Choosing high-contrast combinations or colors will also increase the likelihood that people with color blindness or other vision impairments will be able to easily recognize your brand.

Is it (overly) trendy or timeless? 

Branding helps differentiate you from your competition, but that can be good or bad. Colors have both positive and negative connotations, which should be considered when building a brand. A financial advisor shouldn’t choose red branding just because all of her competition uses blue, because red is also associated with danger and pain. 

Typefaces also have shelf lives, where a balance must be made between what’s familiar and what’s enticing. In 2021, Microsoft announced that the default typeface in all Office products will be changing from Calibri to one of five new options: Bierstadt, Grandview, Seaford, Skeena, or Tenorite. Even once-trendy options or legacy standards are subject to change over time.

Where will my customers see it? 

Your branding should always consider the end use and end user’s experience as a primary factor in decision-making. For example, a business where letterhead and business cards are essential will have different considerations than a digital only brand, or one that plans for branding primarily on colored shirts (small) or the side of a truck (large).

This is where serifs can come into play. When looking at a letter structure, serif fonts have tiny bars on the corners of each letter, like Times New-Roman or Cambria. While popular in the age of typewriters and the early years of computers, serif fonts have fallen out of favor on digital screens. San serif fonts such as Calibri and Arial are considered to be easier to read on digital screens, but either could be appropriate for physical signage.

Is this flexible enough to grow with me?

Branding, like other creative marketing work, is partially artistic and partially scientific. Even the best-conceived concepts still have to resonate with your target audience(s) and help you stand out in your industry. Here are a few ways to know that it’s time for a rebrand:

• Low or decreasing profits: After more than 160 years as the Young Men’s Christian Association, the YMCA rebranded to “The Y” in 2010, following the guide of AARP and KFC in downsizing to an acronym.
• New or improved offerings: Looking to add new products and services, or unveil an updated concept? That’s a perfect time to rebrand, as Bell Atlantic did, after acquiring GTE in 2000, becoming Verizon.
• Internal controversy: The Washington Football Team is one example of a sports team that has updated its brand to keep up with the social norms of the time. After originally adopting the “Redskins” moniker and branding in 1933, it made the decision to strip its team name without a replacement in 2020, updating the typeface but keeping the familiar burgundy and gold coloring. It’s worth noting that the organization was also under investigation for sexual harassment charges at the time of the rebranding, and is also negotiating a future stadium location.
• External controversy: When the Islamic caliphate began making global headlines in 2014, businesses scrambled to rebrand away from ISIS or ISIL, including a Belgian chocolate producer, a British private equity firm and an American pharmaceuticals company.

KLR is more than just a Connecticut marketing agency. We can help your national brand with brand strategy, provide SEO services, consult on social media marketing, video production, creative services and more. Contact our team to discuss your business goals and explore how we can help you make the best impression with your audience.