How To Design A Sign: What Font Should You Use On Your Sign?
Your sign gives you the opportunity to "speak" to your audience with a distinctive voice all your own. By selecting a distinctive typestyle that's appropriate for your organization, you can create and reinforce brand recognition in your local community.
Did you know that all fonts and typefaces are the same price? How do you select an appropriate typeface for your project?
All typefaces give the reader a certain feeling. Your audience may not consciously notice the typeface. But they will be subconsciously influenced by the style, delivery, and personality of your message. If you think of typefaces as a theme representing you and/or your business, then you're on the right track.
Even BLOCK LETTERS come in hundreds of shapes and styles to fit any occasion. Some fonts can manage to be both formal and casual, depending on how they are used. And there are degrees of both formality and informality. It's just a matter of selecting a font or theme that's appropriate for your particular message and organization.
Here's an example:
If you were opening a family medical center you might design something like this:
Now, look at the difference in the sign by changing the font. It no longer has the same feel. It no longer projects the image of a clean, professional medical environment.
See how a simple change in the font makes such a huge difference in the perception of the message? The second is far less professional and trustworthy in appearance.
What are the three most common font mistakes?
In an attempt to stand out in the crowd, inappropriate fonts and text effects are often chosen for signage. "Designer Fonts" may look good on business cards and stationary, but they can greatly diminish the effectiveness of a sign. For example, fancy script fonts are often used completely wrong.
Mistake #1:
Script style fonts can be difficult, if not impossible to read from a distance. Here are some other common examples of fonts with poor legibility. Only use these fonts when you need to convey a message a certain way. And the reader will be up close.
Mistake #2
We sometimes see signs that are almost illegible.
This sign says, "ALL UPPER CASE SCRIPT." Can you read it?
Even though avoiding these mistakes seems like "common sense," it might not be readily apparent to some until they see the finished sign.
Mistake #3
The wrong text effect can ruin an otherwise perfectly good font. Here's a side-by-side example of the difference.
How do you select an appropriate typeface for your project? All typefaces give the reader a certain feeling, so be sure to select a font that displays the image and style you want to convey to your audience. Which letter styles are the easiest to read from a distance? Sans Serif fonts project a strong durable image. They also effectively communicate quick bursts of information.
Serif Style fonts project a more sophisticated, upscale image. They also make it easier to read large bodies of text.
Serifs are short horizontal lines added to the tops and bottoms of traditional typefaces, such as "Times New Roman" seen below.
Please note the differences above between the block style letter (sans-serif or "without serifs") and the serif style letter.
There are several variations of similar looking serif type styles including:
Each letter style has its own unique, defining characteristics. The distinctions from one serif letter style to the next are often subtle.
If you look at what national companies do with their signage, you will notice clear, easy to read text in almost every case.
Typefaces: The Unofficial Rules To Live By:
- As a general rule of thumb, don't use more than two different letter styles in a single sign design. Otherwise, you risk creating a mishmash of fonts and reducing the effectiveness of your message.
- Make your primary message stand out. And it doesn't always have to be the name of your business that stands out the most. It depends on what you want your sign to do for you.
- Get a second opinion. A fresh pair of eyes can offer a different perspective. Whether it's the graphic designer you’re working with or a friend, ask them for their point of view and then decide what you want. After all, it's your sign!
Once you know the core message, you probably have a pretty good idea of the look that you want. A law office doesn't want something that looks like a day care center. And a daycare wants to look fun and exciting, not serious.
Articulating the look you want is not always easy for our customers. So we have put together some examples of the looks and how they could be used to help you decide on the overall look before we begin working through other design elements. Keep your core message in the back of your mind when deciding on the look of your sign.
Professional:
People tend to think of lawyers, doctors, and businesses along those lines when they hear the word professional
Conservative:
Steeped in tradition, tend to have traditional values, "straight laced"
Classic:
Formal refined and restrained
Retro:
A look distinctive to a time period.
Whimsical:
Full of fun. Doesn't take things too seriously.
Kidsy:
The look and feel of childhood, bright colors and childlike print
This is a small selection of fonts to help you brainstorm about the image you want to project. Using the right font can make the difference in how your sign is accepted. Each font has its own feel and choosing the right one is important.
