Understanding today’s variations in font styles, weights, and serifs helps designers generate particular feelings and impressions in the audience. While a delicate script font can inspire refinement and tenderness, a bold, sans-serif typeface can communicate strength and modernism.

Fonts’ psychological power allows designers to produce more impactful and successful designs that really connect with their target market. From a basic logo to an engaging website or a convincing advertisement, the correct typeface will transform a design from average to remarkable.

The language of typography

Fonts, much like words and images, have their own internal language that can stimulate specific emotions and impressions. This is similar to how words and images interact with one another. Every design project must include the selection of a typeface since it has the capacity to significantly influence how a design is viewed by its audience. This makes the choosing of a typeface a vital component.

Principal elements that affect how fonts are perceived

The emotional impact of a font is influenced by a number of important aspects, including the following:

A font’s apparent personality can be significantly altered by the presence or lack of serifs, which are the little strokes that are located at the extremities of letterforms. Sans-serif fonts are the opposite of serif fonts. There is a common perception that serif fonts, such as Times New Roman and Garamond, are linked with reliability, formality, and tradition. They have the ability to elicit feelings of sophistication and that transcend time. Sans-serif typefaces, on the other hand, such as Helvetica and Arial, are often considered to be more contemporary, clean, and approachable. They are able to create a sense of simplicity and effectiveness.

It is also possible for the weight or thickness of a font to have an effect on the emotional impact it has. The use of a bold font may induce a sense of confidence, authority, and strength. Additionally, it can be utilized to generate a sense of urgency or to call attention to particular aspects of the situation. A typeface that is light or thin, on the other hand, has the ability to generate feelings of delicacy, elegance, and sophistication.

With regard to the height of lowercase letters in comparison to the height of capital letters, the x-height is a term that is used. Writing that has a smaller x-height can provide a more traditional and formal appearance, whereas writing that has a bigger x-height can give the impression of being more contemporary and informal.

The form of individual letters, as well as the structure of the letters themselves, can have an effect on the overall impression that a font gives. Positive emotions such as warmth, friendliness, and playfulness can be induced by the use of rounded letterforms. Sharp and angular letterforms, on the other hand, have the ability to give a sense of seriousness, intensity, and modernity of expression.

The emotional impact of fonts

The selection of a font has the potential to dramatically impact the emotional response that is produced by a design. It is possible for designers to bring about particular feelings and improve the overall efficacy of their work if they have a thorough understanding of the psychological effects that various typefaces have.

It is common practice to associate serif typefaces with classic literature, academic writing, and legal papers. These typefaces are identified by the little strokes that are located at the extremities of the letters. Traditional and formal are two more terms that are used to describe them. They give an impression of authority, dependability, and timelessness without losing their propensity to be considered outmoded.

Bodoni and Didot are two examples of serif fonts that have delicate serifs and have the capacity to create an image of elegance and refinement. They find widespread application in the branding of high-end premium products and luxury goods all around the world.

Sans-serif typefaces are typically associated with modernity, clarity, and efficiency. This is due to the fact that they do not feature the serifs that are present in serif fonts. Because of their versatility, they may be utilized in a wide range of design contexts, ranging from websites to corporate branding. This is because of the fact that they are adaptable.

Fonts belonging to the sans-serif family that are rounded, such as Futura and Gill Sans, have the capacity to evoke feelings of warmth and friendliness in the reader. These are commonly used in the manufacture of children’s books, as well as in the packaging and branding of consumer goods. Their use is also common in the packaging of consumer goods.

Specifically, this is due to the fact that geometric sans-serif fonts, like Gotham and Futura, have the capacity to convey a sense of modernism, edginess, and assertiveness. In the realms of technology, fashion, and contemporary art, they are applied quite frequently respectively.

The cursive script types Calligraffia and Pacifico are two examples of typefaces that have the power to evoke feelings of elegance, romance, and femininity in those who use them. It is common practice to employ them in the manufacturing of wedding invitations, greeting cards, and branding tailored specifically for female consumers.

Two examples of casual script typefaces that are able to express a sense of fun and informality are Comic Sans and Papyrus. Both of these typefaces are instances of casual script. When employing them, however, it is essential to use judgment because they have the ability to give the impression of being immature or unprofessional.

The usage of a wide range of fonts has the potential to accomplish the fabrication of effects that are subtle and nuanced. It is possible for designers to develop a wide range of visual and emotional effects by mixing fonts that have characteristics that are either in opposition to one another or complementary to one another. For instance, a combination of serif fonts with a sans-serif font can result in a style that is representative of both the conventional and the contemporary. It is possible to achieve the goal of adding visual appeal and calling attention to specific areas by mixing a typeface that is bold with a font that is light. 

The power of fonts in branding and marketing

The use of font psychology is a powerful instrument that has the potential to dramatically influence the success of a business. Businesses have the ability to develop a powerful brand identity and effectively express their values to their target audience by carefully selecting fonts to use in their marketing materials.

With the intention of expressing a premium image and high-quality products, luxury firms frequently make use of sophisticated serif fonts such as Times New Roman or Garamond. These fonts are known to inspire a sense of tradition, elegance, and exclusivity. Technological organizations, on the other hand, frequently employ the usage of bold sans-serif fonts like Helvetica or Futura to communicate innovation, modernity, and efficiency. This helps them establish a powerful and distinctive corporate identity that is in line with the fast-paced nature of the technology industry.

Fonts that are one-of-a-kind and unconventional are widely used by creative firms to express their creativity and originality. These fonts may include script fonts or hand-drawn typefaces. This includes adding a personal touch that helps their business stand out from the competition. The creation of different brand personas frequently involves the use of a wide range of fonts by retail firms. One way to show friendliness and approachability is through the use of a playful sans-serif typeface that is rounded. On the other hand, a bold sans-serif font can convey a sense of strength and reliability.

Because serif fonts, particularly those with traditional roots, have the capacity to transmit trust and reliability, they are appropriate for use in fields such as the legal system, the healthcare industry, and the financial sector. As a result of their ability to communicate innovation, modernity, and forward-thinking, sans-serif fonts are frequently selected by technology organizations and startups. This is especially true for fonts that include clean lines and geometric shapes. Hand-drawn typefaces and script fonts have the ability to communicate originality, playfulness, and personality, which makes them excellent for use by brands in the fashion industry, the entertainment industry, and the arts industry.

Businesses are able to make educated judgments about typography and develop brand identities that resonate with their target audience if they have a thorough understanding of the psychological impact that different fonts have.

You will be well on your way to creating eye-catching designs that effectively communicate your message by considering these fonts we have mentioned. Additionally, it is important to remember that WhatFontIs.com consistently provides a solution by identifying Google and commercial fonts. Simply upload a photograph of your preferred typeface to our website and locate the appropriate font with a single click.

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Popular brands like Twitter, Google, PayPal, Toyota, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Apple, and tens others have logos that are more or less super simple: a classic font and a small representative picture.

Some were made with $0 cost, while others did cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

Let’s first understand the context.

How big brands created their logos long-time ago and how much did it cost?

Years ago, people were not overcomplicating and overthinking like today. They were people of action, and it was much more important to deliver outstanding quality, always on time, to be there for their customers, and so on.

Where big brands spending hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars like I hear that some companies are doing it today?

Let’s see how much huge brands spent for their logos and who created them

Coca-Cola – $0 

Coke’s famous logo was created by its founder’s partner and bookkeeper, Frank M. Robinson, in 1886.

Google – $0

The first and original design was created in 1998 by Google co-founder Sergey Brin on the free graphics program called GIMP. Then Ruth Kedar, a mutual friend of Brin and Larry Page from Stanford, got to work on other logo prototypes.

Twitter – $15

Twitter bought rights to the now-famous Twitter bird for $15 on iStockphoto. How many startups and entrepreneurs have the guts to proceed like this? We all should learn from this and analyze better when we are being asked to pay huge amounts for a logo.

Nike – $35

Nike co-founder Phil Knight purchased the famous swoosh logo from graphic design student Carolyn Davidson in 1971. Knight was teaching an accounting class at Portland State University, and he heard Davidson talking about not being able to afford oil paints in the halls. That’s when he offered her $2/hour to do charts, graphs, and finally a logo.

So as you see, companies were not spending its money on their logos but they were investing in creating better products and services, in expanding worldwide, and so on.

How much are big brands paying now for their logos?

There is a huge contrast of how companies created their logos tens of years ago and how much they spent, and how companies created or “upgraded” their logos in the last 10-15 years.

As you saw, 4 of the biggest companies in the world, each being the leader in its domain, spend a total of $50 for their 4 logos that everybody knows and can easily recognize. The logos were created by its founders or by just paying for a stock image.

Now let’s see the opposite corner

BP – $211 millions

According to Stock Logos, BP spent 211 MILLION DOLLARS for its logo design in 2008. 

Why? Please let me know why.

Pepsi – $1 million

Arnell Group redesigned Pepsi’s logo to the tune of $1 million in 2008.

So, their main competitor, Coca-Cola, spend $0 for their logo, and Pepsi paid a redesign of $1 million. Is this money well-spent? Pepsi please let us know if it was worth it.

Symantec – no, it didn’t cost over a billion dollars or $1,280,000,000

There is a myth saying that Symantec paid over a billion dollars for their logo. This is not true; they paid this value for acquiring VeriSign. They paid for buying the brand, not for designing a logo.

Symantec has the habit to do rebranding every decade.

They usually pay a couple of millions of dollars for their rebranding and marketing.

Accenture – $100 million

It was the time when Andersen Consulting and Andersen Accounting parted ways, that Andersen Consulting felt it needed a new logo.

The business also changed its name to Accenture which meant “accent of the future”.

The campaign ran, for the sake of rebranding, was priced at a whopping $100 million. The logo that was launched, as a result of the rebrand, was a simple one with Accenture written in lower case letters.

There was a forward mark on top of the word while the overall look of the logo was kept simple and minimal.

The logo was highly criticized for being simple and vague, however; the company was successful in making profits after the rebrand.

Why famous logos use simple fonts?

It doesn’t matter how much you spend to create your logo if your logo cannot be read or easily understood by its viewers. Is as simple as it sounds, no magic here.

As you saw, all these huge brands despite the amounts of money they spend for their logos, understood perfectly that they need simple fonts, that are easy to read. And even more, simple fonts are simple to memorise.

There is a trend today in using only simple fonts.

Here it is one that anybody can create it, even a child.

Is it powerful and easy to read?

Yes, it is super simple, super powerful, and it will remain in your head.

Which fonts was used? Be shocked, the font is IMPACT REGULAR – a free Photoshop font.

How much did the logo cost? $0. How much did it cost to identify it? $0.

Conclusions

To identify any font from any picture, upload it to WhatFontIs and the powerful AI will quickly identify it for you, let you know how much does it cost, let you know where to get it from, and show you over 60 similar fonts, both free and paid.

Whatever logo you need, think first for simple solutions and fonts, it works excellent. 

The post Why Famous Logos Use Simple Fonts – Simple & Obvious Reason appeared first on WhatFontIs.com Playground.

Have you heard the news?

In case you missed out the news, ZARA rebranded itself at the end of January and ambushed us with a new logo. After eight years of glory, the old breezy and minimalistic logo retired. Designed by the French agency Baron & Baron, the new one already managed to create a controversy around it. Everybody was suddenly wondering: where did the space between the letters disappear? And, the most important matter of all: will this new logo survive?

Fabien Baron, the creative mind who designed this new logo, used his signature style. The four letters are written in all caps, using the serif DIDOT LT PRO font. And shocker, there are no spaces between them! This new logo looks like it’s about to drop a solo performance of `I want to break free`.

Why did ZARA changed its logo?

The whole idea behind using this font was to help ZARA reestablish its spot amongst the high-end brands such as Dior, Margiela or Bottega Veneta. Some graphic designers might even say it did the exact opposite. On the other hand, others think that these types of fonts represent the future of fashion branding. But who’s right and who’s wrong?

Until we decide on the righteousness of this change, let’s all enjoy the jokes that went viral:

All in all, we think that this new logo font is more appropriate when it comes to magazines. The minute we saw it, we instantly thought about Harper’s Bazaar.

If you like this new logo, check out the DIDOT font family on our website. You can chose from 196 different DIDOT fonts.

The post How Zara rebranded itself appeared first on WhatFontIs.com Playground.