{"id":63047,"date":"2014-08-14T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-08-14T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rockcontent.com\/blog\/lessons-typography-worlds-powerful-brands\/"},"modified":"2025-09-11T20:56:55","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T23:56:55","slug":"lessons-typography-worlds-powerful-brands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pingback.com\/en\/resources\/lessons-typography-worlds-powerful-brands\/","title":{"rendered":"Lessons in Typography from the World\u2019s Most Powerful Brands"},"content":{"rendered":"

The fonts you choose for both your logo and your content can say a lot about your brand. Because of this, big brands are extremely particular about their typography<\/a> choices and smaller brands can learn a lot from studying their visual decision making. After looking at the corporate styling guides for many of the companies on Forbes\u2019 list of the world\u2019s most powerful brands,<\/a> several trends became apparent. <\/p>\n

For better or for worse, everyone still loves Helvetica<\/h2>\n

This should come as no surprise. The ubiquity of Helvetica in graphic design is well known and understandable; as a clean, simple and enduring typeface, it\u2019s always a safe choice. Helvetica has a straight, even and machined look to it, an aesthetic that makes it neutral and adaptable for many different purposes. This is reflected by the type of influential companies that use it: Toyota, Target, BMW, General Motors and American Apparel. \"toylogos Even without using Helvetica specifically, many top companies use closely related typefaces like Arial and Univers, though typically only as secondary typefaces. But while Helvetica was used to create a fresh and modern look for brands in the 1950s, its overuse today means it contributes little distinct personality to any brand. <\/p>\n

Tech giants go \u201chumanist\u201d<\/h2>\n

Many tech companies may have simple and sparse logos, but choose a less machined aesthetic for the bulk of their website text. These typefaces may appear similar to Helvetica at first glance, but they incorporate greater variability in their angles, shapes and line widths. Among the most popular of these type families is Myriad, which is used in varying capacities by Apple, Walmart, LinkedIn and Mashable. Other popular humanist typefaces include Segoe, used by Microsoft, Open Sans (Google) and Lucida Grande (Facebook). <\/p>\n

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via Stephen Coles on Quora<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When explaining its choice of typeface, Walmart\u2019s corporate style guide states<\/a>, \u201cWe\u2019ve selected a type family that gives Walmart a friendly, warm, and real voice: Myriad Pro. Myriad Pro says \u201capproachable\u201d and \u201cstraightforward\u201d and is easy to read. A humanistic sans-serif typeface, Myriad Pro\u2019s great for retailing and communicating \u201clow prices.\u201d Compared to similar typefaces, Myriad Pro is an easier read, conveys warmth, and aligns nicely with the Walmart brand.\u201d<\/em> <\/p>\n

It\u2019s interesting\u2014sometimes, the choice between a cold, mechanical typeface and a warm, humanist one comes down to the tiniest detail in a single letter. That subtle curve in the ‘a,’ the gentler shape of a lowercase ‘e.’ These little things can really add up to shape how you feel about a brand, even if you\u2019ve never consciously noticed them. Designers spend ages debating these characteristics, though to most of us, it just \u201cfeels right\u201d or doesn\u2019t. The public rarely sees these behind-the-scenes debates, but they\u2019re definitely felt.<\/p>\n

Luxury brands and banks choose serifs<\/h2>\n

Luxury brands, who rely mostly on selling physical goods like handbags and cars, rely on serif fonts more frequently than web-based brands. This is in part because serifs appear elegant and more easily readable in printed form, while sans serif fonts are better for reading on computer screens. Serifs also evoke the history of typography. Luxury brands use this to demonstrate their pedigree, and some banks incorporate serifs to prove their longevity and trustworthiness to consumers. <\/p>\n

Consider investing in a custom typeface<\/h2>\n

\"tittl_600\" Other top brands decide to create a custom typeface specific to their brand. A custom typeface can help take branding to the next level, finishing out a visual style and language unique from any others. Intel, for one, recently unveiled its first ever proprietary typeface, known as Neo Sans Intel, which, according to Design Week, it plans to use \u201cacross all script systems, media and devices as an extension of its brand.\u201d The typeface was designed to evoke the Intel logo, and is even adaptable to foreign writing systems.