At this stage, with so many websites into existence, it can be a tad difficult to leave your mark.

Of course, your unique services/products could set you apart; however, with a mundane website layout and uninteresting visuals, it can be hard to achieve originality. This is where typography comes into the picture.

What Is Typography?

To some people, typography is an art; while to others, it is a way of showcasing their personality into their products by keeping things simple yet creative. In other words, typography is the skill of learning to use the right text or font in the right environment. For instance, if you are preparing a technical report, you cannot opt for a whimsical font to present your findings. Similarly, if you are preparing a women’s clothing catalog, you cannot pick out a font that straight up screams boring!

That said, typography is not just limited to text or font. It also encompasses knowledge about the perfect layout, complementing use of colors, white space, space between characters and other embellishments. All of these elements need to work together in harmony to make your attempts at typography an instant hit! Because of all this, typography plays an important role in the marketing world.

Marketing and Typography

The job of web designers is simple: to create a web layout that is not only visually pleasing and well-balanced but also leaves a lasting impression on the users. Achieving balance through typographical elements is necessary since they engage the users and compel them into taking the desired action.

The right typography helps in creating a lasting impression and this is not just limited to a brand’s website. Instead, it encompasses every element that helps a business in establishing themselves as a beloved brand, i.e. pamphlets, mobile apps, flyers, business cards and posters, etc. Typography is balance and consistency; achieving both elements can allow typography to aid in the marketing arena.

To have a successful marketing campaign, a business needs to create a strategy that excels the physical boundaries and reflects the very essence of the business in every aspect. To start things off, two things matter i.e. readability factor and the hierarchy.

As the name suggests, readability is the ease with which users can read the content without feeling overwhelmed or confused. Typography aids with this step only if you know which font would be suitable, how much space would be ideal between the characters and how many paragraphs would fit the situation. Once you are clear on this, you can create typographical content that could entice the readers.

On the other hand, hierarchy is all about putting important information in the spotlight by using all the necessary elements to guide the readers’ attention to it. The pattern of the hierarchy is akin to a trail of breadcrumbs leading to a mountain of food. Just like how the small pieces are used to draw attention towards the food mountain, marketers use hierarchy to guide the eyes of the readers from irrelevant to the crucial informational bits. This is achieved through the usage of descriptions, small texts and visual elements.

With both the hierarchy and readability, a sense of balance and flow is maintained which is essential to provide the readers with a convenient experience. Additionally, consistency is the key! Take the example of Starbucks. Their marketing geniuses have not only found the typography that works best for them, but they have also integrated this into their working manners to connect with their consumers. From the writing of the consumers’ name on the cups to the countless store that promotes the idea of drinking coffee while chatting with other people; Starbucks has grasped all the factors necessary for creating a lasting impact through creative marketing and typography.

Typography Trends to Look Out For In 2019

Well-executed typography encourages people to continue reading, engage with the business and keep coming back for more. However, all of this only works if you keep your knowledge about the typography trends updated.

In the world of marketing, things go out of style pretty quickly. This is especially true in the case of typography. If the truth is told, with so many typefaces, it can be difficult to pick one that complements your overall strategy. To simplify the matters for you, here is a list of the current trends that will leave you inspired!

1. Color/Chromatic Fonts

If you thought that black and white font is here to stay, think again! The color font may not be everyone’s cup of tea, with many opting for the minimalist approach but these fonts are a brilliant way of bringing the audience’s attention to wherever you want.

Tilted Chair has cleverly made use of color fonts by limiting their strategy to a single bright color while at the same time maintaining a minimalist approach. This strategy not only draws attention but also build a brand identity to which their users can easily connect to. You can stick with the minimalist approach as the Tilted Chair did (see the picture above) or you can include tons of different colors with each character of a word showcasing a different color.

Both the approaches are fine; however, opting for the latter option would not appeal to your audience as much as the monochromatic approach. This is because the usage of too many colors can confuse your audience and take their attention away from the crucial information.

As of now, color fonts are still fairly new and not many fonts exist. However, there are a couple of free as well as paid color typefaces.

2. Overdone Effects

The overdone typography may take you back to the 90s where retro styles and fun colors were popular. As the name suggests, the overdone effect is achieved when every effect or style is implemented in a way that it clashes with each other yet complements the entire page.

Generally, designers would like to stay away from experimenting with too many techniques for the fear of confusing their audience. However, the overdone effect works because it not only allows experimentation but it also allows the combination of styles to work with pictures along with words as well.

Technically, it is used to actually make the audience read the content. Since the clashing style, characters and colors are hard to digest, the human eyes linger on the content to break it down for the purpose of understanding it. That said, the trick to achieving a perfect overdone effect is to making sure the end result is aesthetically pleasing even with piles of styles and colors used.

3. Geometric Typeface

For a futuristic touch to your marketing campaigns, you can opt for the geometric typeface. This type of font heavily relies on straight lines and rounded forms. They are mainly used for titles and headings.

They have a strong focus on simplicity and are preferred over superfluous designs. Because of its elegance and precision, the geometric typeface is limited to scientific and architectural projects. However, keep in mind that geometric typeface is the best for bringing a futuristic vibe to your projects. So, if you do not have any scientific project, you can still use this typeface since it is easy to comprehend and easily readable. Just try to limit the geometric typeface to the headings, titles and subtitles. If you try to use this typeface for all your content needs, then it may prove distracting and take the attention away from your message.

4. Hand-Drawn Typeface

The hand-drawn font is a trend that would not die any time soon since it allows the designers to integrate a part of their personalities into their typefaces. This typeface is different from sans, serif and other typefaces because it provides countless opportunities to play around with your imagination.

Hand-drawn fonts are supported by almost all the browsers and, because of their increasing demand, have many available tools that can help you translate your imagination into a creative version of the hand-drawn font. That said, it is not an easy task to create a hand-drawn effect straight from your imagination since you will need to take care of a lot of things. For instance, you need to be careful with connecting each stroke and you also need to pay attention to maintaining a flow that fits in perfectly with the entire layout. Getting all the elements right in the first go can be difficult which makes hand-drawn typeface demanding than other typefaces.

5. Gradient Effect

Gradient effects do not get the respect they deserve. Why? Because it has always been used in unpleasant ways by inexperienced designers who thought that they were getting somewhere by unjustly using a gradient effect. However, if used correctly, the gradient effect can help you achieve great results.

Gradient effects work best in a minimalist situation. Since you need to use colors to show the gradient effect, you need to minimize your use of colors in the background so that you do not take the attention away from the gradient situation. Think of it as an Ombré, where the dark colors fade into the lightest shades without being too obvious. You need to implement the same technique to your gradient effect so that it does not feel out of place yet brings the readers’ attention to where you want.

Gradient effect has a modern yet fresh feel to it and it cuts down the need for having any other complementing design.

6. Overlapping Effect

Most designers like to keep things clean and simple and often shy away from the idea of mixing things up. Although, mixing or overlapping does not work in every situation; however, this typography trend is slowly gaining followers.

When it comes to overlapping effect, there are no hard rules which mean that you can let your creativity run rampant. Generally, this effect is only limited to the usage of pictures with many opting for the text-over-image or image-over-text style. The former one is easier since the text is overlapped over the photos to achieve a clean-cut look. For instance, look at the photo below:

On the other hand, the image-over-text effect is achieved by utilizing Photoshop’s clipping marks. It is different from the above since the characters are cut out to reveal the picture in the background as apparent in the picture below:

Both the overlapping can work in your favor, only if you know which image would work best with the overall content. Additionally, you need to maintain readability as well to communicate your message effectively.

Which Typography Trend Is Best For You?

Just because something is trending does not mean that you should integrate it into your latest marketing campaign. That is not how this works because it all comes down to your needs. To set everything in motion, you need to identify the needs of your marketing campaigns. This also involves identifying your marketing message along with your target audience.

You need to understand that different typographical styles resonate differently with everyone. Additionally, emotions also play a significant role. If your campaign is targeted at the youngsters, you need to opt for a vibrant typeface that not only clicks with their energy but also makes them comfortable.

The same goes for other kinds of emotions and age groups. If you want to display your adventurous side or perhaps you need to display your creative skills, then you can choose a typeface that works well with overdone or layering effects.

The point is, colors or effects do not compel people to stick around. Your audience would only linger on your website if your content is relaxing and easy to read. To achieve this, you need to choose the right typography, observe a suitable amount of white space and avoid general distractions. Keep in mind that your marketing attempts would only be effective if you leave an impression on your audience and with the right typography, you can make your content enjoyable. If you feel incompetent in this department, then perhaps opting for digital marketing services can do the trick for you!