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Smart brands never overlook the importance of typography in packaging design. While many people think of typography as an afterthought, the reality is that this detail should be seen as a “finishing touch” that’s considered from the first step. The typography used on packaging is the direct line that brands use to communicate their messaging to their customers. How should brands be utilizing topography to make the maximum impact possible? It takes careful planning that’s informed by a deep understanding of the way that different fonts, colors, and techniques impact a brand’s ability to clearly convey information to consumers. Take a look at the writing on the wall when it comes to packaging topography.

What Are the Core Elements of Good Topography on Packaging?

We all know bad topography when we see it. It makes us confused. It causes us to not take a brand seriously. It makes us wonder how the finished product ever passed a quality-control check. However, the elements that create good topography can feel harder to pin down. Here’s a look at the elements to cover for writing that sends the right message every time:

• Legibility: This is the most important element of beautiful topography. Customers have already lost confidence in your product if they need to try to decipher what they are looking at when viewing a package. In addition to making your brand seem unprepared, poor legibility can actually make it hard for customers to make sense of what your product offers. They may also be frustrated by an inability to read ingredients, safety information, and other key details going into the decision-making process. In addition, people cannot remember the name of a brand or product if they can’t read it! Make legibility the first detail considered when beginning the creative process.
• Prominence: Don’t hide the key details that customers need to know about out of view. Good typography is always functional above all else. That means that brands are placing the key branding information that customers need to see right in the direct line of sight without the need for customers to look at a box from several angles.
• Good Contrast: Contrast is important because it enhances both legibility and attractiveness. The mind is instantly attracted to bold contrasts. The big benefit of using contrasting colors with text is that this choice makes every piece of information on your box easier to find, easier to read, and easier to remember.
• Special Touches: Change it up! One of the most powerful ways to make the text on packaging more readable is to combine different visual elements. Brands with engaging packaging often incorporate bold, italic, and capital letters.
• Textures: Textured topography is extremely pleasing to the eye. First, brands should focus on using quality packaging materials that create a perfect base for housing text. Next, using “textured font” is a smart way to add texture without actually adding texture. A good way to achieve this is by mixing thin and thick-edged fonts.

All of these elements come together to create a smooth visual experience for the customer. In fact, typography that’s done perfectly doesn’t even look like it’s “printed” on the packaging. It simply looks like it’s jumping off the surface of the packaging in a cohesive way that allows customers to process the information being shared without thinking twice.

Establishing Hierarchy of Information

There’s one more purpose of typography that cannot be underestimated by brands. Typography helps to establish something called the hierarchy of information on packaging. This refers to the way text is categorized according to its importance. Brands can actually direct the eyes of customers to specific places on packaging by using different font sizes and styles. These tricks allow brands to “tell” customers which texts are the most important. Unfortunately, many brands squander this amazing opportunity to direct eyes to the right places because they don’t have an understanding of how to properly utilize font placement, size, and color to create a “roadmap” for eyes to follow.

Choosing Font Colors That Work on Packaging

The disclaimer here is that established brands should continue to incorporate their brand colors when designing packaging. However, it’s helpful to know about the best ways to use color and font together to make a powerful impression. One rule to know about is that dark text on a light background can make it harder for customers to read your packaging. That’s because dark text against a light background actually causes an optical illusion where the background expands in the eye. This optical illusion makes the background seem larger in relation to the text. As a result, the text becomes harder to read. Using light text against a dark background actually creates the opposite optical illusion. This is why using white typography against a dark background makes the lettering appear bigger than it is in relation to the background. Knowing these core rules allows brands to make font plans based on the size of their packaging.

Choosing Typography That Helps to Position a Brand Correctly

Typography sets a mood. While fonts may appear to be “just fonts” at first glance, the truth is that every font choice creates deeply rooted subconscious associations in the minds of customers. The mere curvature of lettering allows us to decide if we should trust a brand. Always consider how your brand should ideally be positioned to be competitive when choosing topography. Some “brand personas” to consider should include:

• Authoritative.
• “Natural” and healthy.
• Advanced.
• At the cutting edge.
• Classic.
• Sophisticated.
• Elite.
• Prestigious.
• Friendly.
• Approachable.
• Childlike.
• Playful.
• Trustworthy.
• Established.
• Vintage.
• Minimalist.
• Mysterious.
• Edgy.
• Mainstream.
• Dependable.
• Rugged.

How do you choose the right topography to help your brand convey its brand position? This is something that is traditionally done with the assistance of a graphic designer. Ultimately, getting the right typography in place requires collaboration between packaging engineers, designers, and marketing decision-makers. The big takeaway on choosing typography that reflects brand positioning is that it’s necessary to make sure that topography aligns with the personality of your brand. This serves two purposes. The first is that it sets up instant expectations for your brand without a need for the customer to do brand research. The second is that it reinforces brand visibility and recognition. It gets very interesting from this point on.

“While it may not be obvious to most, text styles likely impact important cognitive processes and might make or break information retention,” according to researchers. This is something that every brand marketer needs to know! Yes, the font chosen for product packaging can actually determine whether or not customers are able to remember your brand. When brands choose fonts that are conducive to memory retention, customers are actually able to remember the key marketing points that are featured on the box. They can also remember brand and product names more easily.

Beyond Packaging Typography: The Label Can Be a Liability

While it’s easy to see why packaging typography deserves so much attention, the story doesn’t stop once customers stop reading the box. All of the rules and elements that apply when selecting effective typography for packaging also apply when selecting text for labels. Brands should never assume that text styles, colors, and sizes chosen for packaging will translate effectively to labels. A label should be treated as a unique ecosystem that requires teams to go back to the drawing board to design for the specific proportions of a label.

Final Thoughts on the Important Role of Typography in Designing Effective Product Packaging

The unwritten rule about typography is that it’s never intended to be a postscript for brands. Typography planning should have a place very early in the process of choosing branding elements for packaging and labels. The right packaging partner will tell you this from the first meeting. Here at Mid-Atlantic Packaging, we help our clients to make smart packaging choices that enhance brand value. Our clients span all consumer industries. Let our expert team of packaging engineers provide you with a free custom packaging quote to ensure that every detail of your brand’s messaging is perfect. Book your quote today!