Consumers should be able to identify your product with a quick, single glance. High-quality packaging is a great way to achieve this. One element of packaging that helps your branding stand out is one that tends to get overlooked: the typography. Nearly every piece of printed packaging feature visible is text. When you’re designing your packaging, choose a text that’s unique and recognizable while still being legible and suitable for your brand. Choosing the right font is essential. The way your packaging looks will affect how consumers perceive your brand. Some people might go with the first font they come across, or simply pick one they think looks nice—but spending time choosing the perfect font can make all the difference. Here are some tips on how to choose the best typography for your packaging, so you can make your product stand out from the rest.
Readability and Packaging Design
You should never sacrifice substance and readability for style. You can take care of both with a good font. If a font is too busy, it can detract from the overall style of your packaging. To most consumers, a busy font is also an unreadable font. If they can’t make out your brand name and the product description within seconds, the font you chose might be too hard to read.
Be Consistent
For printing projects, graphic designers recommend sticking to three fonts or less, not counting your logo. This ensures design integrity and package readability. The fonts you select should complement each other but be unique enough to stand on their own. When you’re picking out your fonts, find one or two central characteristics to keep consistent. Stick to fonts that are thin and classy, thick and bold, or whatever combination of traits works best for you and your business. Cursive and plain-letter fonts work well together. You can use cursive for the header and the plain-letter fonts for descriptions.
Avoid “Toxic” Fonts
Another tip on how to choose the best typography for your packaging is to avoid “toxic” fonts. Some fonts are considered off-limits. Experts steer clear of them and you should, too. Why? Whether it’s because they’re too common, appear childish, silly, or unprofessional, or are just plain and unassuming, these fonts sound a death knell for sales. Unless you have a compelling reason to use them, it’s best to steer clear of:
- Comic Sans
- Impact
- Papyrus
- Bradley Hand
- Courier
- Copperplate Gothic
- Brush Script
- Times New Roman
- Gill Sans
If you’re not sure, ask a graphic designer for feedback on your font selection, or do a quick internet search to gauge what the design community thinks of it. It’s worth doing a little research!
When there’s such a wide variety of options, how do you choose? Mockups give you the chance to preview multiple options for your product’s packaging before making your final decision. Whether you’re looking at product pouch packaging, box packaging, shrinks, labels, or otherwise, Virtual Packaging can provide you with high-quality, custom packaging mockups. Contact us to discuss the details of your next project today!
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