Welcome to a new appointment with #RainyBrandingTuesday (the last one from California!)
I, once again, got inspired by this county and in particular, by San Francisco, where I’ve spent the last 10 days walking around, taking pictures and yes, working.
As a topic for today I’ve chosen typography.

I love typo…graphy

When we talk or think about typography, most classic images spring immediately to the mind of non-designers: typewriters, ancient styles handwritten by monks in isolated monasteries or Gutenberg, who brought the printing press into Europe around 1439.

Actually, in the design world, typography is all things letters and fonts and also a fundamental element of logo design. Yes, logos don’t necessarily need to to be icons: in fact, most of the logos/branding we see around us work because of the specific, custom font they have. Take the classic examples of Coca-Cola.

Always Coca-Cola

One of the trends in San Francisco is to use smashing typography – with a vintage flavour.
Some real examples below:

The vintage/retro approach is a fairly popular one:

And still, proves to be quite of an evergreen and a pleasing solution to the eye – its being something that reminds of a glorious past does not jeopardise the power of logos and in fact, it does reinforce the concept of reliability and modernity – funnily enough!

Some other brands neverthlesse go for a more directly modern take:

and they tend to be in, guess what? Black 🙂
As mentioned in this very interesting article here are 7 design options to consider for the typography of your logo:

1. The right font: The most obvious element of typography is font choice. Your brand’s personality is expressed in the fonts used to present its name and tagline in your logo.
2. Combination of fonts: When used together, fonts need to complement each other the same way colors do, and they shouldn’t have competing styles.
3. Number of fonts: In a logo, fonts need to be used sparingly. One or two carefully paired choices will make your logo aesthetically pleasing and professional.
4. Letter scaling and 5. Spacing
5. Font weight: A heavy-weight font is bold and strong. A light-weight font is elegant and soft.
 
7. Capitalisation. Uppercase can create a more streamlined look; lowercase can be more casual and friendly.

All in all, there should always be a target in the choice of your font and possibly logo design.

• Think of the product: is it modern? Is it food? Is it a classic? Just find out the idea behind it.
• Never forget about the colour palette – would the color you like go well with the style? Maybe a neon pink won’t work with a retro style just as a taupe shade is not ideal for a uber modern font.
• Are you planning on inserting an icon? Matching the right styles is key.
• What adjective is your logo representing: casual, slim, elegant, classic, cutting-edge… that should be reflected.
• Always ask for professional advice: keep a list of sites and examples you like to show your designer, as references do help to find your unique approach and ensure consistency
• Less is more sometimes: a strong typeface is, in many cases, more than enough to make your brand stand out.

Want to read more?

Here are some interesting hints – and remember to follow today’s hashtag, #RainyBrandingTuesday for more!

http://ilovetypography.com
http://welovetypography.com
https://turnarounddesign.com/what-does-typography-say-about-your-brand/
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Logo-Design-Love-Creating-Identities/dp/0321660765
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1671067/the-story-behind-the-famous-fedex-logo-and-why-it-works
http://www.fromupnorth.com/best-typography-of-2013/