While using a logo for promo products can help increase awareness of your company, nothing beats print in making sure that people know the name of the company that the promo product represents.
Print is simply obvious, because more people can read than can memorise a logo. And when people check your company online, they don’t use your logo in Google’s search bar.
The Rules of Font Selection
So now we you need to make a crucial decision on which fonts and lettering you should use. While this can be a matter of debate, some rules do tend to make a lot of sense:
Rule #1. It should be readable. While this may seem obvious to you, it’s actually not all that obvious to a lot of people. This is especially true among those who really want to be different than others. They choose fonts with so many designs and weird effects that people can hardly read them. For the sake of readability, you should go for the simpler fonts.
Rule #2. It should match your target market. This is part of the serif vs. sans serif debate. Basically, serif fonts look much more traditional, while sans serif is more modern. If you’re marketing to older folks, then the serif family fonts would be your best pick, while sans serif fonts appeal to a younger crowd.
Rule #3. It should be appropriate for the feel of your company. Are you a serious company with a somber service or truly no-nonsense products? Then you need the more somber fonts. Fun companies need more lighthearted fonts.
Which Fonts Should You Use?
Your choice should be any one of the following:
- Arial. It’s very easy to read, especially in print. And there’s a comforting familiarity about the font, since it’s one of the most used fonts on the Internet.
- Helvetica. This one is quite modern and minimal, and it’s easy on the eyes. For those who abhor the simplicity and commonness of Arial, this is the best choice, even though they actually look quite similar. It’s used as the font for Lufthansa, American Apparel, Microsoft, Apple, Intel, and Nestlé.
- Verdana. This is the font that PayPal uses. It’s quite versatile, and it can be used effectively both for the computer monitor and for print. It looks great no matter what size you use.
- Futura. This one is quite simple as it’s based on simple geometric shapes. It’s used by Absolut Vodka and Adidas.
- Garamond. This is another very common font like Arial, and it was created way back in the 1540s for the French King Francis I. A lot of books and logos use it, which is a testament to its immortality.
- Trajan. If you are just using a short company name or its initials, then this font can be a great choice. It’s an all-caps font, and the lowercase letters are literally just smaller versions. It’s very common on movie posters, and that’s because it always looks good.
In summary the wrong font can literally break your branding experience. If you’re not an expert in this area we recommend consulting with a graphic artists that specialises in branding design for businesses like yours.