Iconic typography ideas - graphic design and marketingAh fonts. Everyone who is anyone in graphic design and marketing has an opinion or two about them, right? Since our goal is to be iconic in the marketing industry, we thought we would share our thoughts on fonts, too.

(First, a clarification. If you follow our blog, you know that we have tossed the term “typeface” out the window. What most people refer to as “fonts” are actually typefaces. A lot of designers will huff and puff that “typeface” is the technically correct term… and they are perfectly right. Doesn’t change the fact that “typeface” is just as archaic as calling the bathroom a water closet.)

Onto the fun part. We have compiled a list of our top five favorite fonts… in no particular order.­­ Ready for them?

Myriad ProMyriadPro

Classic, elegant and suited to all situations. It also has a lot of (very elegant) variations. It’s a great way to go for longer documents because you will have options for captions, subheaders and more. It looks great as body copy, too. Myriad Pro also friendly to other fonts… it works well alongside a wide variety dynamic feature fonts. You can even put it with a basic serif font and it will look awesome. It’s a smart font in that the letters fit together nicely. Be sure to check out what happens to the lowercase i when placed with the lowercase f… see it? Very chic.

Onyx

Onyx

This is a great, classic font that will never be out of style despite the fact that it has strong character. It doesn’t ave any variations besides the regular, but a font as great as Onyx doesn’t need that. Don’t go typing a lot of bulk with Onyx, but if you are looking for an awesome font for drop caps and titles, Onyx could be your man. Awesome as it is, be careful using Onyx… it doesn’t have high readability at a distance or in small spaces because of the variation between thick and thin.

Century Gothic

CenturyGothic

This font is great for a lot of reasons. First of all, it uses far less ink than other fonts, so if you are looking to save a few bucks on ink printing letters, let Century Gothic be your look. It can also take on a great, tech-savvy look when used in a 50-75% tint. It has a few decent variations but be careful… this font is classic, but it doesn’t take well to other fonts. Choose a feature font carefully with Century Gothic. It’s clean look can make other fonts look heavy and awkward.

Georgia

Georgia

Classic. Readable. Websafe. Sold yet? Georgia is one of those great fonts that works well for body copy, but can also be used well for headers if you play with the look. It’s attractive whether you set it in optical or metrics, and it’s easily one of the easier serif fonts to use well. It has a classic, safe look and if you pair it with a nice sans serif, you will have an awesomely classy piece.

Baskerville Old Face

BaskervilleOldFace

This font is not nearly as flexible as the others that make this list, but it’s so beautiful that it earns its spot in our top five. It has a unique twist for a serif font with surprises on the tail of the y and the loop of the g. If you make changes to the kerning, it really changes the look and feels like new. Use Baskerville Old Face for a few headers on piece that need some extra class. No bold in this font, but it still maintains its integrity when you add a light stroke.

What Are Your Top 5 fonts in graphic design and marketing?

Weird… Helvetica didn’t make our list. At Iconic Digital Agency, we steer clear of the norm. When it comes to fonts, you don’t want to do what everyone else is doing. No matter what fonts you pick for your project, think outside of the box. There is a way to be classic AND unique. Maybe a few of these fonts will get you started in the right direction.

What do you think of our list? Are there any that you would add or subtract? We love any thoughts and feedback when it comes to design.

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