Typography is a powerful tool. It’s the voice of your design, conveying not just the words themselves, but also the tone, mood and personality of your message. While a single, well-chosen font can be effective, the art of font combination takes your design to the next level.

In this post, we’ll dive into font combination best practices, explore the basics of typography, understand why strong typography is crucial for branding and provide some inspiring Canva font combo examples.

 

Understanding the Basics of Typography

Before we jump into pairing fonts, let’s brush up on some key typographic concepts:

• Typeface vs. Font: A typeface is the design of a set of characters (e.g., Helvetica, Garamond). A font is a specific variation of a typeface (e.g., Helvetica Bold, Garamond Italic).
• Serif vs. Sans-Serif:
  • Serif: Typefaces with small decorative strokes (serifs) at the ends of the characters. Often considered classic and elegant (e.g., Times New Roman, Georgia).
  • Sans-Serif: Typefaces without serifs. Often considered modern and clean (e.g., Arial, Helvetica).
• Other Typeface Classifications:
  • Script: Typefaces that resemble handwriting (e.g., Brush Script, Pacifico).
  • Display: Typefaces designed for decorative use, often in larger sizes (e.g., Impact, Lobster).
• Key Typographic Elements:
  • X-height: The height of the lowercase letters (excluding ascenders and descenders).
  • Ascenders: The parts of letters that extend above the x-height (e.g., the top of “h” or “b”).
  • Descenders: The parts of letters that extend below the baseline (e.g., the bottom of “p” or “g”).
  • Weight: The thickness of the characters (e.g., bold, light).
  • Leading: The space between lines of text.
  • Tracking: The space between characters in a word.

 

Why Strong Typography is Important for Branding

Typography plays a vital role in shaping your brand identity:

• Brand Personality: Typefaces have distinct personalities. Choosing the right typography helps communicate your brand’s values (e.g., professional, playful, sophisticated).
• Visual Hierarchy: Typography helps establish a clear visual hierarchy, guiding the reader’s eye to the most important information.
• Readability and Accessibility: Well-chosen typography ensures that your content is easy to read and accessible to everyone.
• Consistency: Using a consistent typographic style across all your brand materials (website, social media, print) reinforces your brand identity.
• Emotional Connection: Typography can evoke specific emotions and create a stronger connection with your audience.

 

Font Combination Best Practices

Pairing fonts effectively is crucial for creating visually-appealing and harmonious designs. Here are some key best practices:

• Contrast is Key: Choose fonts that have enough contrast to create visual interest. This can be achieved through differences in typeface classification (serif vs. sans serif), weight or style.
• Establish Hierarchy: Use different fonts for headings, subheadings and body text to create a clear visual hierarchy. Headings should stand out, while body text should be easy to read.
• Limit the Number of Fonts: As a general rule, stick to two or three fonts in a design. Using too many fonts can create a cluttered and confusing look.
• Consider the Mood: Choose font combinations that reflect the overall mood and tone of your design.
• Readability is Paramount: Ensure that your font combinations are legible, especially for body text. Avoid using decorative or script fonts for large blocks of text.
• Test Your Combinations: Before finalizing your font choices, test them in different contexts and sizes to ensure they look good and are easy to read.
• Use Font Pairing Resources: Utilize online tools and resources that offer pre-selected font combinations to get inspiration or starting points.

 

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Pairing Fonts That Are Too Similar: If the fonts are too close in style, they won’t create enough contrast and can look awkward.
• Using Too Many Decorative Fonts: Decorative or script fonts should be used sparingly, if at all. Avoid pairing them together or using them for body text.
• Ignoring Hierarchy: Failing to establish a clear visual hierarchy can make your design confusing and difficult to navigate.
• Neglecting Readability: Prioritize readability, especially for body text. Avoid using fonts that are too small, too thin or too decorative.
• Inconsistency: Using different font combinations across your brand materials can create a disjointed and unprofessional look.

 

Some of my favorite Canva font combos