You’ve probably asked yourself over and over when creating your bulletins and newsletters, “Does that font look ok?”, “Should I use a different font?”, “Would another font look better?” I know I certainly have.
There are no absolutes, no right or wrong ways to choose or mix fonts in a design project. However, there are a few accepted standards that can speed up the font selection process and generally result in beautifully arranged, attractive and readable documents.
First and foremost, text in any document transmits a message. Secondly, the look of a typeface establishes a mood and often plays a essential role in telling a story.
There are 2 common font styles, serif & sans serif.
• A serif font has the little extra stroke found at the end of main vertical and horizontal strokes of some letterforms; eg.
• A sans serif font (sans meaning without) does not have “serif”s — the little extra 
strokes found at the end of main vertical and horizontal strokes of some letterforms; eg.
Some basic guidelines when choosing fonts…
1. Use Serif Text with Sans Serif Headline
When in doubt, pair a serif font for body text and a sans serif font for headlines. This is not a rule. This is simply a good starting point for when you’re stuck for ideas or can’t seem to find the right mix. In most cases, a serif plus a sans serif provides good contrast and doesn’t overwhelm with too many fonts.
2. Use Contrasting Styles
Avoid mixing two very similar typefaces, such as two scripts or two sans serifs. There is not enough contrast and the small differences will cause a visual clash. This is why pairing a serif with a sans serif font works so well. There’s generally good contrast. In addition, it’s not recommended to use all caps with a script font because it is difficult to read.
3. Use Fewer Fonts
Limit the number of typefaces used in a single document to no more than three or four. With too many different fonts you run into problems with not having enough contrast between font styles plus a lack of consistency and even a feeling of choppiness because there are too many distractions. Even just using one typeface is better than using too many.
4. Use Proportional Fonts
The best body copy fonts are the least distinctive. They generally have less extreme parts or unusual character shapes. This is one place where boring can be better. Use fonts with more distinctive characters in headlines and pull-quotes and other places where you want to grab attention and pull the reader into the story.
As a side note…
Be wary of downloading “free” fonts from the internet or getting fonts from anywhere other then the original software or additionally purchased fonts. “Free” fonts can be corrupt and corrupt other fonts on your system. Stick with licenced fonts that come with the original software to avoid corrupted font issues.
Hopefully, a few of these ideas can help all of us answer those pesky “font” questions.
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