The expression on your (type)FACE

Have you ever thought about why we call them ‘typefaces‘?

Well a bit like every face we see is slightly different and unique, such is the case with each individual font. They each have a different character and personality and with this comes a distinction which allows each to express something different through this individualism.

Type is one of the most critical parts of any brand and is often the catalyst to setting its personality.

As critical as it is, so many people get it wrong and wonder why consumers don’t connect with their business or organisation. So here’s 5 quick reasons why your typeface might be harming your business:

1. MISMATCH – This is probably the most common issue we see. It’s a case where the typeface is screaming one thing and the organisation is screaming a completely different message. For example, if you walked into a Red Dot store and found a $2,000 item, you’d probably say “What the heck?”. They have a bold and simple typeface that just screams “I’m cheap”. That’s why it works for them.
2. FAVOURITES – This is another of my pet hates…”but I really like that font!”. What you like and what turns your market on are often completely different. While the culture of your organisation is vital to the branding process, there’s no place for personal likes and dislikes.
3. KERNING – Kerning is a technical term for the space between each of the characters in a typeface. This has a significant impact upon how people perceive your organisation. Simply typing out your business name in the right typeface is not going to achieve the desired results. As an example, often increasing the kerning leads to a higher positioning of the brand.
4. COMPLEMENTING – So often we see people use the same typeface from their brand in every piece of promotional material. It’s critical to have a supporting typeface that complements your brand. The typeface for your brand should be unique and special. Using it for everything simply dilutes its potency.
5. CUSTOMISATION – If someone can simply search their font library, find the font your brand uses and type it out in Word…then you’re in trouble. Customisation to suit your organisation is what delivers you a unique and individual brand. This is also important in terms of you gaining a trademark – something EVERY business should have.

There’s a reason why there are millions of typefaces and why designers work so hard at crafting these to suit your organisation. It’s actually less about design and more about strategy and having an appreciation for the impact that typography has on your audience.

If your organisation isn’t represented correctly to the market, then you could be losing valuable customers and potential income…and all because of a typeface…

So the question is, what does your typeface say about your business?