Written word, what you are reading right this moment, has the power to evoke and to provoke. Considering the content is the first rule of thumb with any printed verbiage. But when is the last time you took a look, a really good look, at the actual lettering of your printed message? Thousands of font options are at your disposal. In order to make the correct choice on size, color, shape and spacing you first have to consider your audience.
Marketing and Vision Issues
Cataracts, macular degeneration, glaucoma, amblyopia aka lazy eye are some of the most common eye problems of more than 11 million adults in the US. Take note of the effects of vision problems on interpreting your marketing messages. If your font size is too small or frilly, it confounds those with vision issues. To make the best of this situation, begin by identifying your target audience. Is your target demographic in the aging end of the spectrum, i.e. the elderly population or baby boomers? If so, you want to make sure your font is easily read by your audience. According to AIGA, the American Institute for Graphic Arts and the American Disabilities Act:
- Choose Times Roman, Garamond Semibold, Century Schoolbook, Futura Heavy or Frutiger Bold for optimal viewing for vision loss issues.
- Sans serif faces of fonts are the easiest to read thanks to consistency of stroke widths.
- Text size must be large enough to read from a distance.
- Text must contrast from background.
Even if you aren’t marketing toward a demographic with a known rate of vision loss, a wise plan is to use these guidelines in formatting most marketing messages.
Messages for Mediums
Not all marketing mediums are created equal. You have email marketing, social media signage, flyers, brochures and postcards. Each of these mediums require their own formula for fonts. For online marketing options, the reader is most often able to expand the text as they see fit. Your main goal, therefore, should be in consistency. Use the same font typeface on the email address, subject line, heading, message, sender information, and your contact information. Go look at your emails right now. There is sure to be at least one in your inbox that doesn’t follow this rule. It makes the text feel like a fill-in-the-blank formula without feeling. This is the last thing you want your customers to get from your email marketing messages.
As for signage and flyers, your lettering must be wide open and clear to the visual eye. Test run the text to see how it reads from a distance. While serif fonts are noted as the most professional, they aren’t always the easiest on the eye. Again, consistency is key. Change up the coloring, boldness or italics if you want to highlight a word or line. For brochures and postcards, less is more. Include ample areas of empty space so the text is not too busy or cluttered. Trying to fit in several lines of text into an already limited area only creates chaos in the mind of the reader.
Considering creating new collateral or mailer but don’t know what’s eye-catching? Let MidAmerican Printing’s talented creative team help you conceptualize and fulfill a concept that is sure to compel or move your audience! Contact us now for a fast quote!
Readability is definitely a big deal in printed materials, so thanks for addressing the issue of font and size. I’ll try to stick to sans serif fonts and make the text easy to read from a distance. I had a graphic design professor mention that the “don’t go under 12 point font” rule for printed materials was obsolete, and that you could use 10 point font. What is your opinion of this?