Understanding typography is no longer exclusive to designers and graphic artists. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of fonts and the visual representation of everything around them in society.
Typography is as equally important as the use of colour and images in design. Aesthetically pleasing and functional formats can influence and affect the way consumers perceive a material, whether it is an advertisement, magazine, or document. Subtle differences in font such as the kerning and ligatures of letters can be the difference between a beautifully designed piece of art or a word written on a page.
Skilful manipulation of fonts and typography can elicit emotions from consumers. Rounded fonts can promote positive, welcoming emotions, whereas comparatively harsher and more angular fonts can encourage melancholy or extreme emotions. Designers and companies can use this to their promotional advantage to target the viewers according to the message they wish to convey.
See below for two different examples
“True Love” created by Davide Cariani, is inspired by old-school tattoos and hieroglyphs and is used by designers because of its simplicity and minimalism. The lettering is bold contrast against the artwork – without overpowering the overall look of a piece.
Pepsi is a classic example of re-branding, with a key focus on changing consumer reception of font. Though there have been many variations of the Pepsi logo, the most prominent change is the font. From 1898 until 1950, the Pepsi logo comprised of a coiled font, and wasn’t overly aesthetically pleasing. The current font used in the Pepsi logo is bold and distinguishable.
