In order for me to select a font for the wireframe design, I have to select a font that well defines the brand image and what the app aims to showcase the consumers.
Font and typography plays a major role in readability and interpretation of text. The classifications of fonts are (Fonts, n.d.):
- Sarif – used most commonly for books, newspaper and most magazines because of the readability and speedy reading comfort. It’s traditional and means lines and strokes (Satam, 2018). It is mostly identified as classic, elegant, romantic, formal and established because of it’s age and use in pen writing and print media (The Meaning Behind Your Chosen Typeface, 2015). Some popular logos with this fonts are Zara, Tiffany &Co., Abercrombie & Fitch. Organizations in academic, editorial and finance prefer this type (Different Types of Fonts, and When to Use Them | Tailor Brands, n.d.).
- Sans Sarif – is a modern typeface and is used most commonly for digital media like websites, blog and softwares. It’s a modern approach and means ‘without’ lines and strokes. The only difference between Sarif and Sans Sarif is the additional strokes after Sarif types (Satam, 2018). They generally signify clean, friendly, modern and minimal (The Meaning Behind Your Chosen Typeface, 2015). Some popular brands that use this are Calvin Klein, LinkedIn, and The Guardian (Different Types of Fonts, and When to Use Them | Tailor Brands, n.d.).
- Slab Serif – This is a more boxy and bold version of a serif. It’s to gain reader’s attention, but has less characteristics (What does slab serif mean?, n.d.). This fonts creates a friendly, yet authoritative feel to the text and is mostly used for headings (The Meaning Behind Your Chosen Typeface, 2015). Some popular use is Honda, Sony, and Volvo (Different Types of Fonts, and When to Use Them | Tailor Brands, n.d.).
- Script – This is a more decorative kind of font and is generally associated with handwritten text. This should be used in the body as it’s hard for readability. It conveys elegance, sophistication and casualty. A lot of research is advised while using this font (The Meaning Behind Your Chosen Typeface, 2015). It also represents femininity. It conveys a hand-on, personal approach to a business. They show artfulness and emotion. Some of the popular logos are Coca-Cola, Cadillac, and Instagram (Different Types of Fonts, and When to Use Them | Tailor Brands, n.d.).
- Handwritten – is a more casual font than technical. This shows anything hand written, from fancy cursives to block letters. They can be used anywhere from elegance to quirky depending upon where they have been applied. They also give a vintage feel to the text. Most commonly viewed on social media especially for motivational quotes (Blog and Fonts, n.d.).
- Mono – also called monospaced fonts are evenly spaced fonts which takes same horizontal spacing (Monospaced font dictionary definition | monospaced font defined, n.d.). This is an extremely professional and formal font and is most commonly used for tabular data as it has a uniform width (What is monospacing? Webopedia Definition, n.d.).
- Decorative – is a fancy writing typeface which is used for filling large spaces with small texts like greeting cards and posters (Bear, 2019). It is used to decorate, embellish and beautify a text. They are extremely casual, childish and amusing and yet can grab attention very fast, can be amusing and fascinating (Decorative fonts, n.d.). They are great for logos and conveys uniqueness. Some popular logos are Fanta, Toys R’ Us, and Lego (Different Types of Fonts, and When to Use Them | Tailor Brands, n.d.).
- Blackletter – is the earliest form of font usage and mostly used in early times in Gothic or Old English. It is also a decorative font and is used for dramatic headlines and display usage. This is a high stylised yet legible font typeface. It is characterised by a dense black texture and highly decorated caps. They are hard for scaling (Strizver, n.d.).
After careful research of the fonts, I’m more inclined towards Sarif and Sans Sarif fonts as they convey minimalism and inclusivity. They also convey a modern yet classic approach, which is exactly what my brand values. Capsule App aims to deliver traditionally used services in a modern approach, while evolving with time.
References:
Fonts, A., n.d. Search Fonts | Adobe Fonts. [online] Fonts.adobe.com. Available at: <https://fonts.adobe.com/fonts?browse_mode=default&filters=cl:ss&page=2> [Accessed 23 May 2020].
Satam, M., 2018. What Is Serif And Sans Serif? And What Is The Difference Between Them?. [online] Medium. Available at: <https://medium.com/@milindsatam/what-is-serif-and-sans-serif-and-what-is-the-difference-between-them-bc345858374b> [Accessed 23 May 2020].
Pluralsight.com. 2015. The Meaning Behind Your Chosen Typeface. [online] Available at: <https://www.pluralsight.com/blog/creative-professional/meaning-behind-chosen-typeface> [Accessed 23 May 2020].
Definitions.net. n.d. What Does Slab Serif Mean?. [online] Available at: <https://www.definitions.net/definition/slab+serif> [Accessed 23 May 2020].
Strizver, I., n.d. Blackletter – Fonts.Com | Fonts.Com. [online] Fonts.com. Available at: <https://www.fonts.com/content/learning/fyti/typefaces/blackletter> [Accessed 23 May 2020].
Blog, D. and Fonts, W., n.d. Where To Use Handwritten Fonts. [online] DesignCrowd. Available at: <https://blog.designcrowd.co.in/article/808/where-to-use-handwritten-fonts> [Accessed 23 May 2020].
Yourdictionary.com. n.d. Monospaced Font Dictionary Definition | Monospaced Font Defined. [online] Available at: <https://www.yourdictionary.com/monospaced-font> [Accessed 23 May 2020].
Webopedia.com. n.d. What Is Monospacing? Webopedia Definition. [online] Available at: <https://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/monospacing.html> [Accessed 23 May 2020].
Bear, J., 2019. How Should Decorative Type Styles Be Used In Desktop Publishing?. [online] Lifewire. Available at: <https://www.lifewire.com/kinds-of-decorative-typeography-1078016> [Accessed 23 May 2020].
Fonts2u. n.d. Decorative Fonts. [online] Available at: <https://fonts2u.com/references/decorative-fonts.html> [Accessed 23 May 2020].
Tailor Brands. n.d. Different Types Of Fonts, And When To Use Them | Tailor Brands. [online] Available at: <https://www.tailorbrands.com/logo-maker/types-of-fonts> [Accessed 23 May 2020].