"Good Typography is an indication of sophistication" - Brandgraphy
The earliest forms of type are probably the first manuscripts of religious origin, and the earliest form of typography was practised through the art of Calligraphy. Calligraphy inspires the route of following cursive writing in schools, yet cursive structures inhibit the imagination of different types of font, in the Graphic Design world, it takes design schools a full six month term to make the students visualise FONT as an entity of great impact and creativity, just as images are. In fact, certain logos are just text based logos, they are pure FONTS. Typefaces just like images convey unique emotions.
"YOUR FONT IS SAYING SOMETHING"
Observe the poster with the copy - "ALL THAT IS SOLID MELTS INTO AIR", notice how you can feel what the content is saying, you are not simply reading it, you feel the sensation of something melting because of the typography.
That is the goal of Typography - make a consumer "feel" the emotion inherent inside any brand content.
Look at this next example below, when you read the words "WHO STAND" in the second poster, you actually feel the weight of taking a firm stand for the principle you practice.
There are some functional goals that any brand font must meet, it must be readable for a long form content, it must stand out for titles or headings. Along with it, the font must work for the brand in PRINT and WEB equally well. Now, this is very crucial. All designers must test the font with different formats. It may happen that a font is working well in business presentations, powerpoint etc. but it looks very weird in a Video!
A brand font that cannot be used for making kinetic typography and looks good only as a static font will not serve the brands of today.
Therefore, no single font can cater to so many different needs, that's why Branding specialists create a Brand FONT FAMILY. Since Typography is a part of Brand Guidelines, you can look at some of these brands to see the approach they have taken.
In a world that is geared up to adopt simplicity everywhere, a typography centric visual language can do wonders. KAE has used a TYPE based visual language pretty well.
Typeface is a huge decision for book publishers and there is a whole science behind it enabling easy eye movements, providing a good reading flow by the very design of the font. For example, the font you are reading right now is not the best font for readability, your eyes have to put an effort to read.
Choosing a brand font is always a trade off, and publications which run into several hundred pages require serif fonts, because serif fonts have minute curves built at the end points of each letter, these curves help the eye move from one letter to another. If you zoom on the above image, you can actually observe the small extensions in the ending of each letter.
Serif fonts are functionally superior to Sans Serif fonts in the case of Book Design, Magazines etc.
Serif here is referred to a decorative stroke that finishes off the end of a letter's stem. While "Sans" means without, Sans Serif font means a font that is devoid of serif decorations. The font you are reading right now is a Sans Serif font called Brandon Grotesque Light by Hannes-von-dohren.
Sans Serif fonts are great to use in short form copy, heading and titles or poster design etc.
Most brands develop a family of Serif and Sans Serif as their brand fonts to create a system that works for them in any medium, whether it is a Mobile app, a Billboard or a Year Book. Brand Designers test the font in all possible sizes, in many combinations of small or all caps style, brand fonts must perform well from tiny to large canvasses.Typography is an element of brand guidelines and this is a very useful link to introduce yourself to the topic - https://elementthree.com/blog/brand-guidelines-walkthrough/
Brandgraphy believes in the power of experimentation and taking the art of choosing the right font very seriously. But an agency's passion can only go half way, it is the custodian of the brand who should be as invested in branding details as much as designers are. Branding is after all, a collaborative effort and it makes sense for the decision makers to find resonance with their design teams and partner agencies.
Reading about the power of Typography can sensitize anyone's mind and make them appreciate the details people put in their work. Pay attention to your font, because your font is also conveying something, which cannot be put in words, but only experienced in feelings. We will write more on Typography in Part II of this series. Till then, walk with a new set of eyes and observe the world of typefaces around you.