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The 4 Jobs of Your Logo Font
| Guest post by: Erin Ferree |
Article Overview: Many entrepreneurs think that the font for their business name is like a trophy wife-just there to look pretty, all perfect hair and manicure. So, they try to find a font that looks cool, often without looking at any of the features of the font itself. But, the font in your logo is a busy little element. It works 4 jobs!
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The 4 Jobs of Your Logo Font
Many entrepreneurs think that the font for their business name is like a trophy wife—just there to look pretty, all perfect hair and manicure. So, they try to find a font that looks cool, often without looking at any of the features of the font itself.
But, the font in your logo is a busy little element. It works 4 jobs!
So, what are the font's jobs?
The font's job is to be legible and scalable, to make your business name look good, and to strengthen your entire brand story. Let's break these elements down one at a time.
1. To be legible
Your business name should be able to be read easily, quickly, and clearly.
Make sure the letters are spaced far enough apart, so that they don't bleed together visually or when printed.
Make sure that the letter shapes are distinguishable from one another—that your lower case "I" doesn't look like an "L," for example.
Also ensure that you can read it at a glance. Most people won't pore over your logo. They'll just skim it. You want to make sure that the font that you choose is not difficult to read. This becomes even more important when your logo is featured on a sign, vehicle, or billboard—where your viewers will be passing it at a fast pace.
At smaller sizes, the space between the dot and line in this lower case "I" might blur—which could make it look like a lower case "L".
2. To be scalable
Your logo should be able to blow up to billboard size and scale down to postage stamp size and be readable across all of these different options. Make sure that legibility doesn't suffer when size changes. Scaling up usually isn't an issue, but scaling down can be a real problem on ornate or heavily stylized font
3. To make your business name look good
Choose a font that includes good letter shapes for all the letters in your business name. For example, some lower case Gs look pretty funky — so if your business name includes a G, you may want to stay away from fonts that include strange Gs like the one on the right.
Examples:
Also, if you have a long business name, consider using a lighter font so that your business name doesn't dominate the entire logo — you want the font to balance with the icon.
You might also want to vary the font so that the most important words in the name stand out, giving the logo more visual interest. This can be as simple as changing color, size, or weight/boldness of the font or using 2 fonts together for more variety.
4. To support your brand definition
This is your font's last job, and it can be done in different ways in your logo, depending on how much of your brand story is told by your logo icon.
If you've told most of your story with the icon, then all the font needs to do is support that.
If you choose your logo font carefully to perform these 4 jobs for your business, then it will be more than just a pretty face—it will help your logo to be more effective.
Related Articles
The Importance of a Logo Design for a Company
9 Keys to an Effective Logo
Why Combination Logos Are So Popular
The 5 Jobs of your Logo's Color Palette
When To Use A Symbol Logo
When To Use A Text-Only Logo
The 6 Jobs of Your Logo's Icon
Logo Branding
Copyright a Logo
Filing a Trademark: Plain Text Vs Stylized/Logo
How Home Stagers Ruin Their Image Without Even Trying
3 Primary Reason to Become An Entrepreneur
Trademark a Name and Logo: Together or Separate?
Matchmaking 101: Creating Sales Tools That Build Your Brand
Keep Your Logo Simple
A Logo Without Your Name... Can Be A Big Branding Pain!
Get a Custom Logo Design and watch your Business Grow
Why Entrepreneurs Divorce Their Logos (And Why It's A Bad Idea)
RULE YOUR BUSINESS LIKE A SHINE STAR
What to Do, What to Avoid: DIY Logo Design Checklist What Not to Do When Designing It Yourself
Article Tags:
brand,
branding,
design,
font,
graphic design,
identity,
logo
About the Author: Erin Ferree
RSS for Erin's articles - Visit Erin's website
Erin Ferree is a branding coach, design genius and strategic thinker. She's been told that her right-brain, left-brain combination of creativity and logic is hard to come by... and that it's what small business owners need to be successful. She loves connecting the dots between passion and profit, mixing strategy and inspiration and shaking things up.
She deeply enjoys working with entrepreneurs who want to help more people and look good doing it. Who want all of their branding and marketing to make sense and speak to their ideal clients. And who want an open, honest, inviting brand with integrity - instead of using icky, pushy, sleazy marketing tactics and trickery.
She's branded over 450 small businesses in the last 10 years. She's been published in so many books and periodicals that she stopped counting. She's shared stages with some awesome people - like Michele PW, Linda Hollander, Lisa Cherney, Sheri McConnell and Kelly O'neil.
In the rare moments when she's not obsessing about branding or design, she can be found hugging her corgi-dog Stanley, going for long walks, cooking improvisationally, or throwing parties so her friends can enjoy them.
Click here to visit Erin's website
More from Erin Ferree
How To Brand Your Livestream
Related Forum Posts
Re: What If Steve Jobs Hadn't Returned To Apple In 1997?
- Thanks for sharing with us Yinko.
Steve Jobs is definitely a visionary. Not only his products are innovative in a technological sense, but he's managed to turn a tech-company's products into a lifestyle.... a lifestyle!!
[quote:zfqoq43n]Fast Forward to today. Apple has the sexiest products in the business: iMacs, Macbooks, iPhones, iPods and more.[/quote:zfqoq43n]
I think not only tech would be different (music players and phones), but ways we can think of marketing and branding. What Steve Jobs did was of course no easy task for the smaller businesses, but he did start somewhere.
What I did not know was that Apple is worth about as much as Google.
How do you think Apple accomplish what they did? In terms of strategy wise?
If you could advice Steve on one thing, what would it be?
Re: Are you getting an iPad 2?
- @GT - we can talk more about it once I get one and I'm happy to answer any questions to see if it might fit your lifestyle.
@Yinka - Sorry, no payment from Steve Jobs... I wish!
Re: Inspiration for Logos
- [quote:n4xowjxl]When you want a client to think of your Logo may this not be an example of what he thinks. Let its all be positive and with hope of something better coming.[/quote:n4xowjxl]
Huh?
Can you you say this a different way? I'm confused and curious... cause I like messing around with logos...
Re: What are the top videos for entrepreneurs on YouTube?
- I've seen the Steve Jobs video a few times and it is a great one. Off to watch David's suggestion right now. Thanks guys! I'll try to find one of my own to add to the list.
Re: What Do You Outsource Mostly?
- Jobs that usually require outsourcing are web & graphic design, writing/blogging, programming, marketing/sales, legal services, multimedia and finance.
Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.
Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva.
Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.
1. To be legible
Your business name should be able to be read easily, quickly, and clearly.
Make sure the letters are spaced far enough apart, so that they don't bleed together visually or when printed.
Make sure that the letter shapes are distinguishable from one another—that your lower case "I" doesn't look like an "L," for example.
Also ensure that you can read it at a glance. Most people won't pore over your logo. They'll just skim it. You want to make sure that the font that you choose is not difficult to read. This becomes even more important when your logo is featured on a sign, vehicle, or billboard—where your viewers will be passing it at a fast pace.
At smaller sizes, the space between the dot and line in this lower case "I" might blur—which could make it look like a lower case "L".
2. To be scalable
Your logo should be able to blow up to billboard size and scale down to postage stamp size and be readable across all of these different options. Make sure that legibility doesn't suffer when size changes. Scaling up usually isn't an issue, but scaling down can be a real problem on ornate or heavily stylized font
3. To make your business name look good
Choose a font that includes good letter shapes for all the letters in your business name. For example, some lower case Gs look pretty funky — so if your business name includes a G, you may want to stay away from fonts that include strange Gs like the one on the right.
Examples:
Also, if you have a long business name, consider using a lighter font so that your business name doesn't dominate the entire logo — you want the font to balance with the icon.
You might also want to vary the font so that the most important words in the name stand out, giving the logo more visual interest. This can be as simple as changing color, size, or weight/boldness of the font or using 2 fonts together for more variety.
4. To support your brand definition
This is your font's last job, and it can be done in different ways in your logo, depending on how much of your brand story is told by your logo icon.
If you've told most of your story with the icon, then all the font needs to do is support that.
If you choose your logo font carefully to perform these 4 jobs for your business, then it will be more than just a pretty face—it will help your logo to be more effective.
Related Articles
The Importance of a Logo Design for a Company
9 Keys to an Effective Logo
Why Combination Logos Are So Popular
The 5 Jobs of your Logo's Color Palette
When To Use A Symbol Logo
When To Use A Text-Only Logo
The 6 Jobs of Your Logo's Icon
Logo Branding
Copyright a Logo
Filing a Trademark: Plain Text Vs Stylized/Logo
How Home Stagers Ruin Their Image Without Even Trying
3 Primary Reason to Become An Entrepreneur
Trademark a Name and Logo: Together or Separate?
Matchmaking 101: Creating Sales Tools That Build Your Brand
Keep Your Logo Simple
A Logo Without Your Name... Can Be A Big Branding Pain!
Get a Custom Logo Design and watch your Business Grow
Why Entrepreneurs Divorce Their Logos (And Why It's A Bad Idea)
RULE YOUR BUSINESS LIKE A SHINE STAR
What to Do, What to Avoid: DIY Logo Design Checklist What Not to Do When Designing It Yourself
Article Tags:
brand,
branding,
design,
font,
graphic design,
identity,
logo
About the Author: Erin Ferree
RSS for Erin's articles - Visit Erin's website
Erin Ferree is a branding coach, design genius and strategic thinker. She's been told that her right-brain, left-brain combination of creativity and logic is hard to come by... and that it's what small business owners need to be successful. She loves connecting the dots between passion and profit, mixing strategy and inspiration and shaking things up.
She deeply enjoys working with entrepreneurs who want to help more people and look good doing it. Who want all of their branding and marketing to make sense and speak to their ideal clients. And who want an open, honest, inviting brand with integrity - instead of using icky, pushy, sleazy marketing tactics and trickery.
She's branded over 450 small businesses in the last 10 years. She's been published in so many books and periodicals that she stopped counting. She's shared stages with some awesome people - like Michele PW, Linda Hollander, Lisa Cherney, Sheri McConnell and Kelly O'neil.
In the rare moments when she's not obsessing about branding or design, she can be found hugging her corgi-dog Stanley, going for long walks, cooking improvisationally, or throwing parties so her friends can enjoy them.
Click here to visit Erin's website
More from Erin Ferree
How To Brand Your Livestream
Related Forum Posts
Re: What If Steve Jobs Hadn't Returned To Apple In 1997?
- Thanks for sharing with us Yinko.
Steve Jobs is definitely a visionary. Not only his products are innovative in a technological sense, but he's managed to turn a tech-company's products into a lifestyle.... a lifestyle!!
[quote:zfqoq43n]Fast Forward to today. Apple has the sexiest products in the business: iMacs, Macbooks, iPhones, iPods and more.[/quote:zfqoq43n]
I think not only tech would be different (music players and phones), but ways we can think of marketing and branding. What Steve Jobs did was of course no easy task for the smaller businesses, but he did start somewhere.
What I did not know was that Apple is worth about as much as Google.
How do you think Apple accomplish what they did? In terms of strategy wise?
If you could advice Steve on one thing, what would it be?
Re: Are you getting an iPad 2?
- @GT - we can talk more about it once I get one and I'm happy to answer any questions to see if it might fit your lifestyle.
@Yinka - Sorry, no payment from Steve Jobs... I wish!
Re: Inspiration for Logos
- [quote:n4xowjxl]When you want a client to think of your Logo may this not be an example of what he thinks. Let its all be positive and with hope of something better coming.[/quote:n4xowjxl]
Huh?
Can you you say this a different way? I'm confused and curious... cause I like messing around with logos...
Re: What are the top videos for entrepreneurs on YouTube?
- I've seen the Steve Jobs video a few times and it is a great one. Off to watch David's suggestion right now. Thanks guys! I'll try to find one of my own to add to the list.
Re: What Do You Outsource Mostly?
- Jobs that usually require outsourcing are web & graphic design, writing/blogging, programming, marketing/sales, legal services, multimedia and finance.
Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.
Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva.
Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.
3. To make your business name look good
Choose a font that includes good letter shapes for all the letters in your business name. For example, some lower case Gs look pretty funky — so if your business name includes a G, you may want to stay away from fonts that include strange Gs like the one on the right.
Examples:
Also, if you have a long business name, consider using a lighter font so that your business name doesn't dominate the entire logo — you want the font to balance with the icon.
You might also want to vary the font so that the most important words in the name stand out, giving the logo more visual interest. This can be as simple as changing color, size, or weight/boldness of the font or using 2 fonts together for more variety.
4. To support your brand definition
This is your font's last job, and it can be done in different ways in your logo, depending on how much of your brand story is told by your logo icon.
If you've told most of your story with the icon, then all the font needs to do is support that.
If you choose your logo font carefully to perform these 4 jobs for your business, then it will be more than just a pretty face—it will help your logo to be more effective.
Related Articles
The Importance of a Logo Design for a Company
9 Keys to an Effective Logo
Why Combination Logos Are So Popular
The 5 Jobs of your Logo's Color Palette
When To Use A Symbol Logo
When To Use A Text-Only Logo
The 6 Jobs of Your Logo's Icon
Logo Branding
Copyright a Logo
Filing a Trademark: Plain Text Vs Stylized/Logo
How Home Stagers Ruin Their Image Without Even Trying
3 Primary Reason to Become An Entrepreneur
Trademark a Name and Logo: Together or Separate?
Matchmaking 101: Creating Sales Tools That Build Your Brand
Keep Your Logo Simple
A Logo Without Your Name... Can Be A Big Branding Pain!
Get a Custom Logo Design and watch your Business Grow
Why Entrepreneurs Divorce Their Logos (And Why It's A Bad Idea)
RULE YOUR BUSINESS LIKE A SHINE STAR
What to Do, What to Avoid: DIY Logo Design Checklist What Not to Do When Designing It Yourself
Article Tags:
brand,
branding,
design,
font,
graphic design,
identity,
logo
About the Author: Erin Ferree
RSS for Erin's articles - Visit Erin's website
Erin Ferree is a branding coach, design genius and strategic thinker. She's been told that her right-brain, left-brain combination of creativity and logic is hard to come by... and that it's what small business owners need to be successful. She loves connecting the dots between passion and profit, mixing strategy and inspiration and shaking things up.
She deeply enjoys working with entrepreneurs who want to help more people and look good doing it. Who want all of their branding and marketing to make sense and speak to their ideal clients. And who want an open, honest, inviting brand with integrity - instead of using icky, pushy, sleazy marketing tactics and trickery.
She's branded over 450 small businesses in the last 10 years. She's been published in so many books and periodicals that she stopped counting. She's shared stages with some awesome people - like Michele PW, Linda Hollander, Lisa Cherney, Sheri McConnell and Kelly O'neil.
In the rare moments when she's not obsessing about branding or design, she can be found hugging her corgi-dog Stanley, going for long walks, cooking improvisationally, or throwing parties so her friends can enjoy them.
Click here to visit Erin's website
More from Erin Ferree
How To Brand Your Livestream
Related Forum Posts
Re: What If Steve Jobs Hadn't Returned To Apple In 1997?
- Thanks for sharing with us Yinko.
Steve Jobs is definitely a visionary. Not only his products are innovative in a technological sense, but he's managed to turn a tech-company's products into a lifestyle.... a lifestyle!!
[quote:zfqoq43n]Fast Forward to today. Apple has the sexiest products in the business: iMacs, Macbooks, iPhones, iPods and more.[/quote:zfqoq43n]
I think not only tech would be different (music players and phones), but ways we can think of marketing and branding. What Steve Jobs did was of course no easy task for the smaller businesses, but he did start somewhere.
What I did not know was that Apple is worth about as much as Google.
How do you think Apple accomplish what they did? In terms of strategy wise?
If you could advice Steve on one thing, what would it be?
Re: Are you getting an iPad 2?
- @GT - we can talk more about it once I get one and I'm happy to answer any questions to see if it might fit your lifestyle.
@Yinka - Sorry, no payment from Steve Jobs... I wish!
Re: Inspiration for Logos
- [quote:n4xowjxl]When you want a client to think of your Logo may this not be an example of what he thinks. Let its all be positive and with hope of something better coming.[/quote:n4xowjxl]
Huh?
Can you you say this a different way? I'm confused and curious... cause I like messing around with logos...
Re: What are the top videos for entrepreneurs on YouTube?
- I've seen the Steve Jobs video a few times and it is a great one. Off to watch David's suggestion right now. Thanks guys! I'll try to find one of my own to add to the list.
Re: What Do You Outsource Mostly?
- Jobs that usually require outsourcing are web & graphic design, writing/blogging, programming, marketing/sales, legal services, multimedia and finance.
Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.
Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva.
Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.
If you've told most of your story with the icon, then all the font needs to do is support that.
If you choose your logo font carefully to perform these 4 jobs for your business, then it will be more than just a pretty face—it will help your logo to be more effective.
Related Articles
The Importance of a Logo Design for a Company
9 Keys to an Effective Logo
Why Combination Logos Are So Popular
The 5 Jobs of your Logo's Color Palette
When To Use A Symbol Logo
When To Use A Text-Only Logo
The 6 Jobs of Your Logo's Icon
Logo Branding
Copyright a Logo
Filing a Trademark: Plain Text Vs Stylized/Logo
How Home Stagers Ruin Their Image Without Even Trying
3 Primary Reason to Become An Entrepreneur
Trademark a Name and Logo: Together or Separate?
Matchmaking 101: Creating Sales Tools That Build Your Brand
Keep Your Logo Simple
A Logo Without Your Name... Can Be A Big Branding Pain!
Get a Custom Logo Design and watch your Business Grow
Why Entrepreneurs Divorce Their Logos (And Why It's A Bad Idea)
RULE YOUR BUSINESS LIKE A SHINE STAR
What to Do, What to Avoid: DIY Logo Design Checklist What Not to Do When Designing It Yourself
Article Tags: brand, branding, design, font, graphic design, identity, logo
|
About the Author: Erin Ferree RSS for Erin's articles - Visit Erin's website Click here to visit Erin's website How To Brand Your Livestream |
Related Forum Posts
Re: What If Steve Jobs Hadn't Returned To Apple In 1997?
- Thanks for sharing with us Yinko.
Steve Jobs is definitely a visionary. Not only his products are innovative in a technological sense, but he's managed to turn a tech-company's products into a lifestyle.... a lifestyle!!
[quote:zfqoq43n]Fast Forward to today. Apple has the sexiest products in the business: iMacs, Macbooks, iPhones, iPods and more.[/quote:zfqoq43n]
I think not only tech would be different (music players and phones), but ways we can think of marketing and branding. What Steve Jobs did was of course no easy task for the smaller businesses, but he did start somewhere.
What I did not know was that Apple is worth about as much as Google.
How do you think Apple accomplish what they did? In terms of strategy wise?
If you could advice Steve on one thing, what would it be?
Re: Are you getting an iPad 2?
- @GT - we can talk more about it once I get one and I'm happy to answer any questions to see if it might fit your lifestyle.
@Yinka - Sorry, no payment from Steve Jobs... I wish!
Re: Inspiration for Logos
- [quote:n4xowjxl]When you want a client to think of your Logo may this not be an example of what he thinks. Let its all be positive and with hope of something better coming.[/quote:n4xowjxl]
Huh?
Can you you say this a different way? I'm confused and curious... cause I like messing around with logos...
Re: What are the top videos for entrepreneurs on YouTube?
- I've seen the Steve Jobs video a few times and it is a great one. Off to watch David's suggestion right now. Thanks guys! I'll try to find one of my own to add to the list.
Re: What Do You Outsource Mostly?
- Jobs that usually require outsourcing are web & graphic design, writing/blogging, programming, marketing/sales, legal services, multimedia and finance.
Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.
Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.
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