A Word is Worth a Thousand Words
We’ve been behind our fair share of branding projects, and one thing that consistently fascinates is typography. From x heights to the well designed counter in a letterform – a typeface contributes to the mood of a page and says a silent speech about the company it represents.
The subtle intricacies in a typeface, some will argue, can only be seen by a designer. Not so…
The recognition and retention of wordmarks and icons is amazing. We’ve all seen those tests that ask you to identify a brand by seeing only one letter, or a portion of their iconography. I usually end up with a pretty decent mark most of the time, and I doubt I’m better than the average person.
Choosing the right typeface affects more than just brand recognition, more than this article can cover, in fact. Issues like font weight and readability also need to be taken into account. Lines of type on a page create spatial relationships between objects and can massively affect the appearance of a layout. Choosing the right one is critical to setting the mood of a page.
The creation, selection and/or alteration of a typeface sounds easy, right? Sit in on a meeting with an executive that says his company is “Big (but has the soul of a small-business), is fun to work with (but not too loose), is highly professional (but not stuffy)” – then try and go back to the drawing board and pick a typeface out of tens of thousands available. Not as easy as it sounds… especially when there are tens of thousands – if not millions – of dollars at stake. Anything short of perfection puts your job on the line.
When designing a wordmark, part of our job is interpreting what a company stands for and then conveying that message through type.
A wordmark is the face of your company. Your silent employee. When you’re sleeping, it’s working for you on the internet, on a business card, a letterhead. Everywhere. What is yours saying about you?