Every detail of digital signage design matters. From background colors and images to font types, each element has just as much influence on your message as the actual written content. The wrong choices can not only make the signage text difficult to read, but it can also give the wrong impression to your audience.With that in mind, our three-part Digital Signage Fonts Guide will look at best practices for selecting the font type, the font color and font pairings for your digital signage content.Chapter 1 of our series explored font forms and the advantages of choosing different typefaces for digital signage content, and Chapter 2introduced color into the equation. Chapter 3 will help brands avoid common font pairing mistakes and make design choices that best fit both their audience and their industry.
Some basics rules can act as design guidelines when beginning to narrow down font choices. These general rules can help businesses take steps in the right direction.
Different businesses and industries are looking to convey images that evoke specific feelings from their target audiences. Certain font types lend themselves better to particular industries better than others. Here are some examples of how the right font can make all the difference between industries:.Engineering: Engineers want to instill a sense of confidence in their clients by appearing professional and straightforward. The right font choice will be easy to read and interesting enough to grab the audience's attention. Because this is a highly skilled and traditional field, it is a good idea to take a more formal approach. Elido and Baskerville are both solid choices that fit all the goals listed. Creative Professions: Marketers, designers, and other creative professionals will want to take a more casual approach to design. They want to appear contemporary and innovative, which means clean and clear fonts that find the right balance between being fun and professional. Avant Garde Gothic and STXinwei are sans-serif fonts that may be useful for those who work in more creative fields.Law Firms and Banks: Both of these fields rely on creating a strong sense of trust with customers. It is important that clients feel confident that their lawyer or banker is smart, capable and has their best interests in mind. This means choosing more formal and traditional fonts that provide a sense of brevity. Georgia and Odile Initials fit the bill in this case.
No digital signage font guide would be complete without a list of absolute "no's." These are fonts that should be immediately taken out of consideration and avoided at all costs:
There is a lot of freedom when it comes to creating a polished and engaging digital signage display, but too many choices can also lead to bad design decisions. Use this digital signage font guide to help steer the creative process. Avoid common pitfalls that can eat away at the effectiveness of displays. Using the right font, along with other complementary design elements, can create engaging tools that also provide a valuable ROI.
Check out Chapter 1and Chapter 2 of our Digital Signage Font Guide for more design tips!