November 28, 2017 / by Squat New York
Ever notice a brand’s use of an annoyingly overused font and feel differently about them? We have. Call us typography snobs, but studies show we’re not the only ones. Generic “default” typography is often seen as an amateur move that will cause companies to lose credibility and suffer from an increased bounce rate on their websites. The effect can be detrimental.
THEY’RE LIKE TOO MUCH TAYLOR SWIFT
Consider these “default” fonts like pop songs on the radio. You may love a song at first because it’s catchy and easy listening, but then you hear it so many times it becomes a loathsome groaner. This is Times New Roman on a website. And Arial on a brochure. And many of the other fonts you can list off the top of your head because they’re that iconic.
THEY’RE BRANDLESS
The other problem with default fonts is they’ve been worked into so many identities that they no longer have one of their own. Brands that use them are thus missing out on an opportunity to enhance their brand with type that contributes to their visual language.
LET THE PRODUCT EXPERIENCE INSPIRE YOU
When designing a typeface – especially a logotype, our design team will first research the tone and key personality traits of a company before even considering what would work best. One of our recent brand projects for Pereg involved type development for their innovative cereal line: Quinoa Pops.
To help communicate the way quinoa provides a unique, fun and healthful twist on the cereal category, we gave the brand’s packaging its very own, handcrafted typeface. The explosive and upward flowing curves give viewers a sense of movement, similar to the way the pops burst in your mouth. In this sense, the type not only adds to the visual story of the brand – it foreshadows the experience of the products.
In case you were wondering, Quinoa Pops are now available in health food markets all across the U.S. They’re a huge hit among all-natural foodies. But is the type worthy of the credit for this? Well, we can’t say it isn’t.
