Choosing Brand Typography: A Founder's Guide
How to pick typefaces for your brand, what licences cost and when a free font is good enough.
Type carries more of your brand than you might expect. Most of what people see from you is words.
How many typefaces?
One is often enough. Two is common: one for headlines with character, one for body text that is easy to read. Three is usually one too many.
What to look for
- Legibility at small sizes, especially in product UI.
- A range of weights so you can create hierarchy.
- Language support if you operate internationally.
- Personality that matches your positioning.
Free or paid?
Google Fonts offers high-quality open-source typefaces that cost nothing and load quickly. Paid typefaces from independent foundries can be more distinctive. Licences are usually priced by use, such as desktop, web and app, so check the terms before you fall in love.
Common mistakes
- Choosing a headline face that becomes illegible in a navigation bar.
- Forgetting numerals. Pricing pages and dashboards rely on them.
- Using a trendy typeface that half your category already uses.
Set rules
Good guidelines specify sizes, weights and spacing for headings, body and captions. Consistency is what makes type feel like a brand rather than a default.
For our shortlist of agencies, see Top 10 Design Agencies for Startups at https://bestdesignagencyforstartups.co.uk/.
