Know Your Type

Having the right font for your logo is easily as important as having a catchy graphic and memorable color scheme. Font choice is as much a science as it is an art. Each style of font will leave a distinct impression about what kind of company you are, and people will make purchasing decisions bases on the impressions they get from your logo. Here are a few basic font styles: Serif fonts have short lines that stem out from the upper and lower ends of the strokes of a letter. Times New Roman is a serif font. Business owners that want to imply that their company is traditional, stable or classic through a logo, serif fonts work great. Sans Serif fonts don't have serifs at the upper and lower ends of the letter strokes. Arial and Helvetica are two common sans serif fonts, which tend to look more contemporary, innovative and modern. Internet or high-tech companies normally use san serif fonts for their logos. Italics in company logos have a graceful, relaxed feel. Italics are sometimes also used to imply forward motion, so companies that want to show customers that they are forward thinking sometimes use italics. Although they are popular, trendy fonts, which normally stand out, require frequent updates to keep from looking outdated. But for some companies, a logo with a trendy font works well with their business goals. Variation in gradient and line-thickness also play an important role in the message a font sends to customers. Heavier, thicker lines tend to have a more industrial, solid feel; and lighter, thinner lines look more crisp and clean. A logo is effective if it tells other people what a business is all about, and choosing the right font is an important step in being able to send that message.