Fonts: how a designer should choose the right typeface
Fonts: how a designer should choose the right typeface
Serif vs sans serif
Serif — classic, associated with print, books, seriousness. Sans serif — cleaner, more contemporary, works better in interfaces. A typical product website is usually built on a sans serif.
When a custom font is necessary
When the brand wants to sound unmistakably like itself. A custom font makes it so that even a single word in an ad reads as “that’s them.”
How to pick a font for the job
Matching the brand’s tone
An eco brand with a soft visual voice can’t suddenly start speaking in a cold, industrial techno grotesque. The number fonts has to speak in the same voice as the rest of the communication.
How not to mess up font pairing
A common mistake is mixing three or four unrelated families for no reason. It’s better to pick one main family and work within its styles (regular / bold / condensed / italic).
Trends for 2025
Bold statement forms
Very expressive headlines, sometimes almost “overdriven” — rounded, imperfect, modeled like clay. They don’t just deliver text; they act as graphic elements.
Minimalism and clarity
On the other side: calm grotesques with no extra mannerisms. They almost disappear and let the content speak without friction. This is especially popular with services and SaaS platforms.
Where and how to use different fonts
Digital environment
On a site or in an app, readability, contrast, and responsive behavior matter. Extra decoration usually gets in the way there.
Print, packaging, posters
Here it’s the opposite: “character” is often more important than neutrality. A concert poster can absolutely live on one loud display font.
FAQ
If a font is too experimental, the eye latches onto the shape instead of the meaning. In interfaces that’s bad; in art posters that’s perfect.
Yes, but with discipline. Usually two are enough: one main text face and one accent face for headlines or numbers.
Open, sans serif, with enough letter spacing. The user shouldn’t have to squint at every character.
What clients say
Great breakdown! I especially liked the part about when a custom typeface is actually worth it. Brands often try everything to stand out but forget about typography — this article lays it out clearly.
Loved the insights on 2025 trends. Those ‘almost sculpted’ headline forms really are everywhere now. Nice that the author also highlighted the opposite trend — minimalist grotesques with zero fuss.
The font-pairing tips are a must. I’ve seen so many layouts mixing four random type families just for the sake of ‘creativity.’ Simplicity truly keeps the design clean and coherent.