When designing a marketing piece such as EDDM postcards, flyers or business cards, typography or fonts, can be overwhelming at times. There are so many to choose from and some work better than others. We'll discuss a variety of fonts that work well with print and some fonts we feel may be difficult to include in you printed materials.
Tell us which font you like and which one you feel shouldn't be used in print.
2. Did you know that choosing a font can create a powerful
first impression. Similar to a handshake, you want to make
sure it’s strong, but not over powering.When designing
business cards or other printed materials such as EDDM
postcard, envelopes, brochures, it’s important to choose the
appropriate type.
Fonts are broken down into two types; sans-serif and serif.
We’ll describe the difference and looking into the
importance of incorporating the best font for print.
3. Serif Fonts
Serifs are small lines or features tailing from the edges of
letters and symbols.These fonts are most commonly used
for print because they are easier to read.The serifs make the
letters more distinctive and allows our brains to recognize
the letters quickly.Without the “serif”, the brain takes longer
to identify the letter as the shape of the font is less
distinctive. Example of serif fonts:
• Rockwell
• Times New Roman
4. Sans-Serif Fonts
These fonts do not display the small projecting feature that
is known as “serifs” located at the end of strokes. Sans-serif
fonts are best used for websites.When choosing a small font
size, these fonts display clearer because the fonts simple
form. Some great examples of sans-serif fonts include:
• Franklin Gothic
• Helvetica
• Tahoma
5. Limit your business card design to two fonts.That also
applies for other printed pieces such as every door direct
mail postcards. Choosing contrasting fonts not only makes
the content more appealing, it makes it easier to understand
the over all message your trying to convey.
By choosing a specific font, it can ultimately change the look
and feel of your printed piece and the overall tone of the
message you’re trying to pass along.
6. Contrasting Fonts
Examples of contrasting fonts may include Gill Sans and
Times New Roman.The font Gill Sans is considered an “eye-
catching” sans serif font and including Times New Roman as
the content font will make it easy to read. Another font to
consider to grab the attention of the client can be Helvetica.
Baskerville is another font that is easy to read and would
work well with the “eye-catching” fonts.
7. Fonts and Space
When it comes to designing your premium business cards or
other business pieces, be mindful of space.There are some
fonts that are fat and wide such as Franklin Gothic and will
take a lot of space when designing your business card or
marketing piece.As you know, there are times where there
isn’t a lot of space when designing and can become a
designing challenge. But, there are fonts that are thin and
narrow such as Didot.
This front is a better choice when there is little space
available to work with.
8. Great Fonts for Print
Here are some additional fonts that work well for print:
•Futura
•Optima
•Lucida
• Times
•DIN
9. Fonts to Stay Away From for Print
Here are some additional fonts that we suggest you don’t
use when designing your print materials:
•Trajan
• Comic Sans
• Papyrus
• Brush Script
• Tekton Pro
10. The content (message and information) is generally the main
focus and it’s very important to make it a lasting first
impression.You’ve heard it before; first impression means
everything. Make it a good one with a well designed business
card or business marketing piece.
We can help! Not only can we print your business card and
marketing pieces, we now offer custom design services to
help you create the perfect business card, EDDM postcard,
brochure, letterhead and more. Contact us today to get
started on a custom design!