How to Pick the Perfect Fonts for Every Project
Recently, I've been getting really into food writers; not just bloggers but chefs who are novelists and journalists and love every moment spent around food. They have shown me that one can view our society through the new lens of food. (I'm not sure they would classify themselves beyond chefs but I certainly do.) They have taught me so much about passion. So far, my number one take-a-way is in relation to vocational writing. Writing about your vocation isn't just dressing up simple how-to's with vibrant adjectives. Writing about your vocation is a tool to write about life, culture, emotions, debated topics and struggles through your passions. I may not have the art to dive deep into my emotional wellbeing in relation to fonts. But I've learned it's a necessity to write about the culture around me via my unique worldview; I have a commitment to write about larger topics through the things I'm passionate about like design. (HUGE shoutout to David Leite and David Lebovits; two people who have rekindled my passion for food, design and so much more.)
Now, Let's get down to it...
Choose Fonts That Match Your Message
This is the least "calculated" portion so I thought I'd start off with ease. Publications (magazines, catalogues..etc.), books and formal invitations tend to have serifed fonts like "Libre Baskerville" while resumes, retail signs, art objectives, web design text and food menus tend have sans serif fonts like "Sans Source Pro". (Now these are not absolute rules; it's a very general rule of thumb.) By definition, "serif" fonts have a small projection at the end of the letter strokes which, many times, makes it easier to read when words are set more dense and meant to read informationally. It reveals a more elegant and traditional design. Sans serif is a typeface without serifs, embellishments or details.
Sans serif is used more widely today but, historically, there wasn't a text seen without serif detail before the 20th century. Interestingly, renaissance typographers always looked to the past to design new fonts. They had a reverence for their history that they returned to type that was historically relevant. Even though their artistic counterparts were painting portraits only from their dreams, typographers were sticking to what they loved from the past. Typography has always been an art formed by a "humanist spirit" with consistent strokes and a modern eye. So for font designers throughout history, the collective view was that humans have individual agency to maintain a freedom of design. They believed that typographical design existed outside the realm of other artistic movement. The designers chose to honor their typographical predecessors so much so that we still use that same fonts they used in the 15th century. "Garamond" is a 15th century font and "Baskerville" is a transitional 16th century font. It's amazing.
Choose Fonts with Different Weights for Dimension and Contrast
The diversity within fonts on a page is key to creating balance through typography. On a single page, there is a title, subtitle and body. We also refer to them as H1 (title), H2 and body. Some website coding platforms allow up to 6 typeface classifications, which is pretty extensive. Typically, the title font is larger in weight and the subtitle and body get lighter has you travel down the page. A great start for any work would be to begin with a heavy sans serif font for the title, follow with a serif, italic font as the subtitle and either a serif or sans serif as the body (depending on the vibe of your work). But if you desire a classy and thin aesthetic for your title, the subtitle can be a bit thicker to add contrast and dimension. There aren't any rules, though. Remember that. I've heard (and read) rules on rules on rules that designers have created for the industry. But those who abide heavily by rules get lost. Just keep a lookout for pages that look great and notice what those designers do. It's important not to copy work, but notice the patterns that people follow. There is always a pattern to type guidelines.
Hierarchy: Generally the Less You Say the Larger You Can Make Your Font
This one in an interesting one if you aren't working alone, but if you have a solo project it's fantastic. The less you are saying on a page the more dynamic and creative you can make your type. The choices are endless. For example my choices above "Living a Native Life" and "Create More Space at Home" are quite large because there isn't much said. When you have a copy writer who needs to fit more text into the title or subtitle, it can restrict the design and your font choices may have to change. The understanding of hierarchy is great when designing simple (or complex) infographics. Playing with numbers and letters in a big way is one of my favorite things to do as a designer.
In final words, we are constantly growing as designers and our font favorites and least favorites grow with us. But I need to remember that a font choice means nothing if what I'm saying is boring or useless. Fonts display stories, definitions, guides and literature. It's so important. We are privileged to be able to work with powerful words every day.
