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The best packaging designs typically feature a balance of images and text. Choosing just the right illustrations or images is critical to how effective your packaging is. However, the font that you use to present your text can be just as crucial.

Above all, you want to be certain that the font or fonts that you choose are extremely likely to attract and keep customers. Choose something that is too dull or nondescript, and you risk your products getting lost on crowded store shelves. At the same time, you don’t necessarily want to use a typeface that is so ornate that it is difficult to read.

If you are ready to choose fonts, images, colors, and other elements of your new design, then call Mid-Atlantic Packaging. You can use your own design or work with one of our design professionals to create packaging that reflects your brand’s unique personality.

Fonts and Your Brand’s Identity

Even if your company is a new venture, chances are good that you have already put a great deal of thought into your brand’s identity. Is your brand fun? Or, is your brand serious? Does it make people feel carefree or does it make typical burdens easier to carry? As you decide on a font for your packaging, try to keep the answers to these questions and others like them in mind.

At a minimum when you are assessing fonts for your brand, consider these questions:

• Is the font easy to read?
• Is the font unique?
• Does the font reflect the values of your brand?
• Does the font make your brand more memorable?

Believe it or not, most consumers will make several conclusions regarding your brand just from seeing the font that you use on your packaging. Imagine that you have a new eCommerce business that specializes in luxury handbags and wallets. What if you used Comic Sans as the font on your packaging? Would anyone take you seriously, or would the incongruity cause confusion and turn people away?

However, suppose that your brand’s identity is witty and perhaps a touch ironic. In this case, it may make perfect sense to choose Comic Sans or another whimsical font for your packaging.

Defining Typography

Typography is simply the act of arranging text and individual letters. The techniques involved have goals like making messages clear and easy to read. Moreover, typography ideally makes text visually appealing so that consumers are more likely to find it attractive.

Typography encompasses even more than that by including various font styles and how the text looks like a part of the overall design of a package.

Thanks to typography, consumers can more easily form an impression of your brand and assess whether or not it is something that they want to buy.

What Are Type Classifications?

Most typography experts agree that there are three type classifications from which to choose. These are serif, sans serif, and script.

Serif fonts are so named because most of the letters have short lines extending from their open ends. This is an extremely popular typeface and may be the most widely used. Since serif fonts are used in books and magazines, there is a comforting familiarity with this typeface. People tend to associate serif fonts with educational content, sophistication, and professionalism.

Sans serif fonts are distinguished by the fact that they do not have the short lines extending from the open ends of the letters. Brands that want their font to look modern while still being easy to read and uncomplicated may opt for a sans serif font. This typeface frequently goes with minimalist packaging designs, or it may be used to give a product a more youthful feel. Sans serif fonts also may make a product look more high-end or luxurious.

Some brands have quite a different goal in mind so they opt for a script typeface. These fonts are more reminiscent of handwritten letters, and the letters may be connected to each other. Either formal or casual, script typeface can convey different messages depending upon the type of script chosen and the flourishes and the strokes that are used to create it. Brands that want to bring a traditional touch to their packaging may be drawn to script typefaces.

Tips for Choosing the Right Fonts for Packaging Design

Like everything in business, choosing the right font is not as straightforward as it might seem at first. Numerous considerations must go into your decision.

For instance, think about how thick the prospective fonts are. Thicker fonts frequently look better on boxes. Thinner fonts, such as serifs, may be harder to read when they are printed on various packaging materials. This means that they may look confusing to consumers or even lose some of their desirable design elements. In the case of script or italic fonts, this is particularly a problem.

Keep in mind that ink does tend to bleed just a bit as well. Accordingly, using a white font on a dark background can be troublesome unless you choose a thicker, bolder font. This larger font won’t disappear in the packaging’s overall design, nor will it appear to be smaller than it is thanks to a common optical illusion.

If you do want to use thinner, more delicate fonts, then opt for softer, paler colors for your packaging. You’ll definitely get better results.

In the packaging industry, most experts recommend using at least a ten-point font for shipping boxes, mailer boxes, and tuck-top boxes. Folding cartons may be able to go down to a minimum point size of six.

Additionally, it’s essential that your design allows for a minimum one-eighth inch offset on each side so that the text will not get chopped off when the box is assembled.

Choosing Unique Fonts

The primary goal of packaging design is to attract the notice of customers. Accordingly, many brands go with bright, bold colors, plenty of graphics, and unusual fonts. As you go through the process of choosing a font, remember that you have literally thousands of choices at your fingertips. You don’t have to select the same font that your closest competitor uses, nor do you have to use an ordinary font like Times New Roman that you see absolutely everywhere.

Take the time to experiment with a variety of fonts until you find one that really stands out from the crowd. This will go a long way toward encouraging the public to see your products as distinctive and unique.

Use Context When Choosing Fonts

When you assess various fonts, you may see each one presented with just a few letters in a row. This may give you an initially positive impression but resist the temptation to make a snap judgment with regard to whether or not that font will look just as good on your packaging.

A professional designer will mock up several packaging examples for you to evaluate. This provides the customer with a valuable opportunity to see each prospective font in context. The font that looked great on a white sheet of paper without any embellishments or colors may be really hard to read or simply look incongruous when it is placed within a larger design.

Remember, take your time when choosing fonts and always evaluate them in context to ensure that they actually look as good as you imagine they will.

Use a Font that Defines Your Product

Is your product bold and innovative or soft and soothing? Maybe your product is something else entirely. Regardless, it is crucial that you choose a font that accurately reflects your product’s personality. Go with big, bold fonts when your need to make a strong statement, but don’t be afraid to go with something a little more delicate when the product calls for it.

Making a Good Font Choice for Your Brand

As you narrow down your font choices, you may want to ask more targeted questions. Some of these might be:

• Who is my target audience?
• Which font would most appeal to them?
• What kind of impression am I trying to achieve with my packaging?
• What should the customer experience be like?

By now, you have probably assessed several different fonts, so answering these questions may be relatively straightforward. As a final check, ensure that the font you choose is unique, legible, and makes sense for your brand’s identity.

Let Mid-Atlantic Packaging Guide Your Journey

At Mid-Atlantic Packaging, we know that the details matter. Even something like fonts that might seem inconsequential at first can make a huge difference in the success or failure of your new packaging design. Whether you already have an overall design and fonts chosen or want us to do the designing for you, contact Mid-Atlantic Packaging today to take the first step.