When was the last time you saw a marketing post on social media that didn’t feature an image? It’s so prominent now that we expect it – the text, a little information, and an image. And overall, it is the image that we remember most clearly, and that’s why a promotional social media post now looks a little strange without one.
But, it’s also why we can instantly translate the famous ‘M’ into McDonalds, a red-white-and-blue striped sphere into Pepsi, and a three-leafed, stripy flower symbol into Adidas.
Overall, 90% of the information we process is entirely visual, and we actually process images 60,000x faster than we do text. Although we might not necessarily think of it in these statistical terms, we’re all aware of it – which is why typography often gets overlooked when branding or re-branding a business.
Imagine if typography wasn’t important
A good place to start when trying to, excuse the slight pun, visualise the importance of typography, is to envisage a world where it wasn’t important. Going back to the above for a moment, imagine seeing Coca Cola suddenly written in something like Comic Sans, amazon.com written entirely in capital letters, or Tesco suddenly adopting a completely black typeface – your relationship with the brand would be changed instantaneously.
If typography wasn’t important, none of this would matter. Plus, when Marathon originally changed to Snickers, Opal Fruits transformed into Starburst, and Jif became Cif, the typography would have changed – not just the name of the brand. Even in complete re-brands of products then, the businesses behind them don’t want you to change how you feel the moment you see that brand in the market. But why?
Typography alone can influence mood
Another reason typography is often overlooked is because we’re simply more aware of our emotions when we react to an image. Whether it’s a photograph of a homeless person, on the flyer of a dedicated charity, or a group of people enjoying a beer at the beach, for something like a holiday or drinks company, we react emotionally to the image completely naturally.
However, if you were to then add a humorous typeface to the first image, or a sinister font to the fun photograph, the entire mood of the advertisement changes. Before we know it, we see it in an entire new light, perhaps don’t even trust it, and will either forget about it – or not remember it particularly fondly.
Typography defines brands
Essentially, this is why typography is such a fundamental. While people outside of the design world don’t necessarily recognised fonts as ‘Times’, ‘Arial, ‘Calibri’, etc., they do quickly learn to associate brands, products and services with specific fonts. So, if you’re headed into a re-brand, or defining your brand identity for the first time, do put some serious time into choosing the right typography.
From here, ensure that all digital images adorned with any form of text, and any print materials you distribute, are both consistently branded with the right images and typography for your business. By also giving your promotional materials a professional touch, with exceptional quality printing from products by Duplo International, you can be sure that your brand reflects its unique personality in imagery, typography, and quality.
2018 · 