How To Choose The Best Font Pairings For Your Website
Welcome to the world of fonts. I’m assuming you’ve been assigned the task of picking a font (or a couple) for your website, or are interested in changing your website’s fonts.
Most think that choosing a font is a last minute decision that doesn’t make a huge impact on the project as a whole. Yet, I’m here to tell you that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Font effects not only the look and design of your website but your brand as a whole.
Think of it as the shoes to your outfit. If you were going to a client meeting or an interview, you’d most likely dress in a business professional. The last part of that outfit you’d piece together is putting on your shoes, maybe before you head out the door.
Imagine putting on a pair of gym shoes with a suit. You’d look ridiculous! Not to mention, it completely clashes styles and intentions. On the top you may look put together, ready to seal the deal, and on the bottom, you look like you’re going for a run. This doesn’t give you the job or the new client.
Fonts are the shoes to your outfit. Without the right font on your website or the right pairing, you’re showing up to a meeting with gym shoes.
PICKING THE RIGHT FONT
Once you realize the importance of a font, it puts more pressure on you to pick the right font. Don’t worry; we’re here to help you with that.
Think back to the shoes. When you pick a pair of shoes for your outfit you’re trying to convey the same style. This might be the easiest to choose based on your company and company culture.
Are you trendy, fun, modern, or timeless? Each company has a unique style they bring to the industry - convey this in your font.
Next, find what emotion you’re trying to convey. By wearing a suit, you’re conveying intelligence, trustworthiness, intimidation, and power. What do you want your fonts to convey about your brand?
Think about your industry and what characteristics your customers would like to see from you. For example, a bank should have a very trustworthy font like Baskerville.
COMBINING FONTS
Now, after you’ve picked the font, it’s time to find its partner. Some find this to be the most challenging part. After all, if one font is supposed to encompass what your business is conveying than how can two fonts do that?
The short answer is: they don’t necessarily have to. Once you’ve chosen one font, you just need to find a font that compliments it. It’s like if you picked dress shoes to wear with your suit, but aren’t sure of the color to pick or the toe shape.
Luck you, there are a few font tools that can help with this part of the process.
-The Font Combination Tool by Bold Web Design makes font pairing simple - just select one font you know you like and it will generate its pair!
-The Type Connection maked font pairing a game, if you’re finding all this font talk a bit dry.
-Typewolf shows popular font combinations when you’re in the need for a quick fix or some font-spiration!
GO-TO FONTS
If you’re not a designer or just don’t have the time to learn all the basics to pairing fonts, we get it. There are a few fonts that are cult favorites, and highly versatile, that you can use if you’re stuck in a rut. Here’s a list of a few fonts that we think are always a good idea and timeless:
-Open Sans
-Lato
-Lora
-Georgia
-Myriad Pro
THE PAIRING EQUATION
If you’ve stuck with us this far, I’m going to assume you’re in it for the long haul. Here is the secret juice to pairing fonts. Find a spotlight font. This font, usually, will be the fonts that are headers and show the most important information. This font will make the statement and fully show how your company wants to convey their message.
Then, pick a font that supports this font. It will take a back seat to the spotlight font, but that’s because there needs to be balanced when pairings fonts.
Think of them as the yin and yang of design - too much of a statement (too many words in your spotlight font) might overwhelm the readers and make them click off your page or not read all of your information. If fonts were personalities you’d have loud one and quiet one. Together, they make the perfect pair!
Some examples of excellent font pairings:
Guest Contributor: Kelsey Woodbridge
A creative jack of all trades, Kelsey Woodbridge from Bold Web Design brings tasteful wit to each article she writes. With experience in the world of design, she understands the struggles of choosing fine details, like fonts, that put the cherry on top.
