Which serif font to use

Fonts, similar to the clothes your wear, provide people with a first impression about who you are. Choosing the wrong font can completely change the personality of your brand thus giving people the wrong impression about your company. In the example below, you can see that by just changing the font on these iconic logos to Comic Sans the personality and feel of these brands completely changes. Brands that looked clean and refined now look childish and playful.

Photo Credit: Lingo. You want to make sure people have an accurate perception of your company. Before you can choose a specific font, you need to understand the different categories of fonts.

While there are a ton of different categories, such as script, display, gothic, the two main categories are serif and sans serif.

Understanding the difference between these two categories will help you start narrowing down which one is right for you. Fortunately, recognizing the difference between the two is pretty easy. Simple, right? The serif font is more ornamental and has serifs extending from the ends while the sans serif font on the left has clean and very precise ends.

Serif fonts have a history that dates all the way back to the 18th century when stonemasons would carve letters into rock. Today, we see a lot of serif fonts in traditional mediums such as newspapers, magazines, and books.

As mentioned above, the most notable characteristic of serif fonts is their decorative tails and strokes.

Serif letters also commonly use strokes that vary in weight meaning some areas of a letter may be thick while others are thin. The distinct characteristics and history of serif fonts give people a feeling of elegance, confidence, and trustworthy. This usually makes them a good fit for companies who want to appear more reputable, established, and serious.

Professional businesses such as law practices, editorials, and insurance companies are all examples of companies that a serif font would be a good choice for. Photo Credit: Different Perspective.

They use a serif font to show people that they are experienced and knowledgeable when it comes to helping them with their litigation needs. The use of serif in their logo and headers, give you the feeling that their team is established, educated, and going to take your case seriously. From their logo to the fonts used in their articles, they use a serif font to give people the feeling of tradition and reputability. Serifs are also conventionally associated with print newspapers so their use of this font also creates a sense of formality and credibility.

While serif fonts focus heavily on embracing tradition and history, sans serif fonts take the opposite approach and embrace simplicity and the feeling of being modern. The main characteristics of serif fonts are their lack of serifs and use of simple, clean lines that are the same width throughout. The clean, crisp lines of sans serif fonts are the main reason many web designers prefer this style of font for on-screen use. The clean lines and sharp edges are able to render out more clearly on a screen which increases legibility for users.

They originated in the mids and have stayed popular because of their readability and visually appealing form.

Magazines, books, newspapers, and most long-form print formats use serif fonts. These fonts are often pre-installed in computers, making them an easy default choice.

Brands that use serifs are perceived as traditional, established, and trustworthy to viewers. Take a look at some famous brands with serif logos below! While some companies have redesigned their logos using a more contemporary-looking sans serif, many have chosen to stay the course of the traditional serif as it conveys a timeless and sophisticated sense of style. Serifs suit some industries more than others. Think of the perception you want to set when choosing your font.

Are you aiming for futuristic, and current? Or are you hoping to recall an old-world sense of class? If your business is in an innovative industry, modern sans serif fonts might be a better option. Chicago Makers has a distinct appeal made for logos, banners, and social media promotions. With varying weights and a modern vibe, this serif font is built to stand out. Designed by Din Studio in Bosca is an elegant serif with the flexibility to pull off both modern and conservative designs.

We see this font all over Pinterest! This version of Garamond was developed by Georg Duffner in Neoclassical fonts like Mirador add an edge to the elegance of traditional serif typeface. Designed by Rene Bieder in , it has a unique take on high contrast typography. Elgraine was designed by Nasir Udin in and has an extended character set that supports over languages! Zin Display demands attention through razor-sharp terminals and tails.

It is legible and can be used in websites as well. Use it in headlines to add some style and boldness to your designs. It is an angular serif typeface with a modern look. Looks perfect on posters, at a larger scale, as well as in editorial projects as a headline.

Freight Text Pro is a versatile serif font with different weights. It can be used from headlines to body text with ease and will give your content a flow that makes it easy to read by anyone. Exchange is another easy to read serif font.

You an also use this on web projects. PT Serif is a fully functional font that can be used in subheadings and body text. It offers a nice reading experience and has beautiful aesthetics.

Harriet is an elegant, classical serif font with contemporary vibes. It is the perfect blend of contemporary and traditional designs and you can use it in both headings and in body copy.

Use it for books, print projects, headings, invitation cards, and more. Fakedes is a great serif typeface that was designed by Cyril Mikhailov. This is a rounded serif font with double lines, so you can use it only for headings and preferably on print projects only. Muchacho is an all-caps serif font with a fun look. This great font was designed by Jeff Schreiber, and can be used in headings, print and web projects and logos.

This is a serif web font that has glyphs with a vertical emphasis and an overall traditional and elegant design. Register Log in Post a project. Want to read more? Join today - it's free!

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