What comes to mind when you think about branding? For many, it’s the logo, followed by colours, and then typography. But for me as a brand designer, brand typography guidelines are what I spend the most time on. Time and strategy go into choosing a font, refining typography hierarchy examples, and visualizing how it will look on a logo and your website.

Typography is more than your brand’s personality. It’s essential to accessibility, SEO, and consistency. So, let’s get down to it — from defining all the typography terms to the principles of typography to choosing the right fonts and creating a hierarchy that makes your brand’s message stand out.

What Is Typography, Typeface, and Fonts?

There are a lot of different terms in the design world. The typeface is the overarching design of letters (think Arial). The font is how the typeface presents itself (think bold, italics, ^_size, etc.). Typography is the art of putting everything together and includes typefaces, fonts, and hierarchy. Brand typography guidelines are part of your branding. They outline the spacing, sizing, letter case, and hierarchy of each font.

How do you know you have good brand typography guidelines? When you have consistency, personality, and accessibility across every touch point of your brand.

Serif vs Sans Serif Fonts

The biggest debate in the world of fonts is probably serifs vs sans serifs. Technically, the only difference is whether the fonts have a decorative stroke at the end of the lines. These “feet” make a font serif. Without them, the font is sans serif.

Serif fonts are often more traditional and classic. Times New Roman is a serif font, for example. Sans serif fonts, like Arial or Helvetica, are more minimal and modern. This blog is written in a sans serif font! In some studies, sans serif fonts are more readable to people with low vision. That’s why I recommend using sans serif fonts in situations where clarity is most important — like your CTA buttons!

But remember, there’s no hard and fast rule when it comes to using serif and sans serif fonts in your brand typography guidelines. Both have their appeal and can be used effectively in your brand.

What Is Typography Hierarchy?

Typography hierarchy is the header tags (HTML headings in web development) that use different sizes and fonts to help search engines index your content. It’s a roadmap for Google and your users. You’re saying, “Here’s where you start, here’s what’s important, and here’s where you finish.”

1. Primary Headline (H1) – The biggest font on a webpage and your header (there can only be one of these per web page).
2. Secondary Headline (H2) – These are usually slightly smaller than your H1 but still big enough to stand out. They help break down information into sections. This is your subheader.
3. Subheadings (H3) – Smaller still, these are perfect for guiding readers through detailed sections without overpowering the main headings. This can be an accent font.
4. Body Text – This is your paragraph or body font and often focuses on legibility above personality.
5. Call to Action (CTA) – This font is often simple and sans serif, making it easy to find and click on.

Think of the descending order like this: H1 is the book title of a book, H2s are your chapters within that book, H3s are any subsections within each chapter, Body Text is the majority of the text content in the book, and Calls to Action are the signposts that guide readers to take the next step.

Here is an example of visual type hierarchy and why it’s important:

The Principles of Typography in Branding

If we strip back the fancy font names, vibrant colours, and endless weights, typography is about making the text readable, memorable, and aligned with a brand’s voice. Here are some core principles:

1. Legibility – Fonts should be easy to read at any size. The main purpose here is for people to actually read what’s being said, not squint at a paragraph.
2. Consistency – Pick a few fonts (three or four max), and stick with them. This keeps your brand cohesive and recognizable.
3. Hierarchy – Good typography has structure. Think about how newspapers or blogs use larger fonts for headlines and smaller fonts for body text. You want to guide the reader’s eye to what’s most important.
4. Alignment – It might sound minor, but left-aligning versus center-aligning or right-aligning can completely change the readability and feel. Left-aligned is typically easier to read, especially for large blocks of text.

Impact of Typography on User Experience and Conversion Rates

Typography is more than aesthetic—it’s a critical driver of user engagement and conversion. Research shows that typography directly influences how users perceive and interact with your content:

• Readability Affects Retention: Studies reveal that well-designed typography can improve comprehension by up to 50%. When users can easily read and understand your content, they’re more likely to stay on your page longer.
• First Impressions Matter: Users form an opinion about your website in just 50 milliseconds, and typography plays a crucial role. A clean, professional font can increase trust and credibility instantly.
• Conversion Rate Impact: Brands that optimize their typography see significant improvements in conversion rates. For example, Basecamp found that changing their website typography increased conversions by 22%. The right font can make your call-to-action more compelling and clickable.

How to Choose the Right Fonts for Your Brand

Establishing typography guidelines takes thought, testing, and a bit of patience. So, how do you find a font that matches your brand’s vibe? Here are some steps to get you started.

1. Decide Where You’ll Source Your Fonts From

Open source, purchase, or develop your own? There are thousands of different typefaces to choose from. While open-source fonts are great because they’re free, they aren’t unique. I recommend using at least one purchased or custom font in your typography guidelines.

Check out a few of my favourites sources for fonts here:

• Pizza Typefaces
• VJ Type
• Jen Wagner Co.
• The Routine Creative

However, an easy option for several different styles of fonts is Creative Market or Adobe Fonts (you will need a Creative Cloud subscription for this)!

2. Define Your Brand Personality

Before you can do any branding, you need to figure out how you want your customers to perceive you. Are you playful, sleek, luxurious, or modern? Don’t forget to think about readability. Fancy fonts with lots of swirls and details can look gorgeous in a logo but quickly become overwhelming in body text.

3. Look For Font Pairings

As you narrow down your font choices, look for fonts that look good together (hello, typography hierarchy!). Choose a primary and secondary font that balance each other. If your primary font is bold and eye-catching, your secondary font could be simpler and let the main one shine.

5 Common Typography Mistakes to Avoid

Even experienced designers can fall into typography traps. Here are some of the most common mistakes that can undermine your brand’s visual communication:

1. Font Overload

• Mistake: Using too many fonts
• Solution: Stick to 2-4 fonts maximum!
  • One for headings
  • One subheadings & CTAs
  • One for body text
  • Optional accent font

2. Ignoring Type Hierarchy

• Mistake: Indistinguishable text levels make it hard for users to scan the text of your website
• Solution: Create clear visual distinction between headings, subheadings, body text, and CTAs

3. Poor Readability Choices

• Mistake: Prioritizing ~style~ over ease of readability (a certain font choice may look cute, but if people don’t know what you’re trying to tell them, it’s a bust!)
• Solution: Always test fonts at different sizes and on various devices, ensuring that fonts are legible and have a high enough contrast between the font colour and the background colour

4. Inconsistent Branding

• Mistake: Using different fonts across platforms
• Solution: Create a comprehensive typography guidelines for your brand. This document will serves as a font style guide and specifies exact fonts, sizing, spacing, and usage, ensuring everything stays super consistent and builds your brand recognition! (Hint: a brand designer can help with this! p.s. it’s me, I’m the brand designer!)

5. Neglecting Mobile Responsiveness

• Mistake: Fonts that look great on desktop but break on mobile (reminder: over 70% of users are exploring the internet using a mobile device!)
• Solution: Test typography across all device sizes — large monitors, desktop, mobile, tablet (you can use typescale.com to do this!)

Want brand guidelines you know look good and work well?

Hi, I’m Jordyn and I’ll help you establish a captivating visual presence that empowers you to show up, show off, and attract your dream clients. I’m talking custom brand typography guidelines? Check. Strategy-based colour palettes? Check. A logo that you can actually copyright? Check. Working with a brand designer to bring your vision to life will give your business the uniqueness to stand out. Inquire about branding services here.