A lot of elements go into creating a successful sign, and the font is one of the most important. No matter how attractive your sign is, if it isn’t readable, it won’t make an impact on its viewers. Use the following design tips to ensure you make the right selection for your business’s goals.

What to Focus on When Picking a Font

1. Readability

Choose a font that’s simple. Sans serif fonts, which don’t have tails or lines at the ends of letters, are often best for sharing important information. This is because the extra lines make the text visually overwhelming. Popular examples of sans serif fonts include helvetica, calibri, and arial.

Besides the style of font, the font should be large, with natural spacing between the letters and clear spacing between the words and lines. Avoid using more than one or two fonts, as it can interfere with legibility and be distracting. Since cursive fonts are decorative and feature extra curls and curves, minimize their use, so the sign doesn’t seem too busy.

2. Design Embellishments

Nowadays, with just a couple keyboard commands, you can squish, pull, stretch or otherwise affect the look of a font.  You can add color, shadows or strokes, or simply place a box around it.  And while this may draw attention to a word, it may not do so in the manner you want it to.  Remember, if you want to use embellishments, keep them simple.  Too many colors or "cool effects" may draw your readers eye overall, but make it difficult to get past the visual design to what's important - your message.

3. Purpose

Think about where your sign will go. Large installations near the road should feature a clean, simple font that’s easy to read at driving speeds. If your sign’s job is to let customers know you’re open for business, the font will need to pop so it can grab a passerby’s attention. An interior sign, like a folding sign for welcoming clients, can have a more creative font since people will view it up close and slowly.

If you need help crafting a sign for your business, contact our team at Professional Image in Honolulu, HI. Our experts will assist you throughout every step of the process, from design to creation and installation. View our full list of services online, or call (808) 721-2611 to request a quote. Follow us on Facebook for the latest news and updates.