Type and text tips for a top-notch brand

It seems as though a lot of people think it does not matter which font your designer chooses with your branding. Well, what kind of expert would I be if I told you that was true? There are tons of tiny details in the font you choose with any body of text that can make a BIG difference in how your brand is reflected. So I'm going to give you some tips to watch for when having someone design your ads or other marketing materials. I will also give you a quick course in the different styles of fonts and what they mean for your brand.

Sans vs. Serif

Lets start with the basics and a couple terms that people who don't work with typography everyday can easily get confused.
There are four main types of fonts: Serif, Sans-serif, Script, and Novelty. Script fonts often look like cursive or hand-written. Novelty fonts are basically any font that does not fit in any of the first three categories. The most commonly used of these are Serif and Sans-serif, but what are they and what's the difference?

This image illustrates the difference between the two. As you can see, there are little notches on the ends of the strokes on the top word. These things are called serifs and they are on a lot of the most used and the oldest fonts like Times and Baskerville. The bottom word has more uniform sized lines where the widths don't vary, this is called sans-serif. The term sans directly translates to "without". So, sans-serif = "without" serif.

Now that we've got that all cleared up here are some tips for the proper use of each type style:

Large amounts of text

When you have large amounts of text in paragraph form it is imperative to consider readability. Certain fonts just make it very difficult for readers to follow. Serif and sans-serif fonts are the ideal typestyles here. It is absolutely never acceptable to use script and novelty fonts for larger amounts of text! These fonts are very difficult to read and should only be used in small amounts – no exceptions. When considering how wide columns of text should be, the rule of thumb is to allow 10-14 words per line. Any longer and the reader may have trouble moving their eyes from the end of one line to the beginning of the next. Too short and your paragraphs will seem long and overwhelming.

So when can I use script and novelty fonts?

I advise limiting your use of script and novelty fonts to short pieces of text like headings and logo use. These fonts often have nice qualities that are very particular to the style of a brand. Script fonts are often wispy and and curly and have nice feminine qualities. They work well for brands of female targeted products, but beware of using them for holiday advertisements since they get overly used by other brands.

What does your typestyle say about your brand?

So which font is right for your brand? Good question. Depending on how the font is used and treated by your designer almost any type style can emit different emotions. The safest routes are these... Serif fonts have a look of old fashion. They give the viewer a sense of reliability in the brand. Sans-serif fonts are often more rectangular and sturdy-looking. This means they represent being strong. However, if you use a lighter weight sans-serif font you can get an opposite result. Sans-serif fonts also work great for giving a very contemporary, sleek, and modern look. As mentioned earlier, script fonts have great feminine qualities. They work well for a softer feel and representing attention to detail. The toughest typestyle to talk about is novelty fonts because they come in all shapes and sizes. My only suggestion here is to use them sparingly.

Still have questions? Don't fret. Shoot me an email or visit my website to learn more. Comment with any questions you might have an I will gladly answer.

As always, #BeAmbitious.

You've found customers. Now, can you keep them?

So you've got your business started and you bought some radio ads and placed a few ads in your local newspaper. Maybe you've even started a Facebook page. You had a good rush of people the first couple months and all of a sudden your store has become a ghost town. How do you retain customers? I'm going to give you my top 3 tips in detail to help you retain your customers after getting them in your door.

1. Be honest, your customers count on it.

So you've got customers coming through your door. Your next goal as a manager or owner is to get that person to buy something while they are with you, right? Wrong! Your goal as a new or small business is to make future sales to the same customer. If you make your own product you do that by providing quality in your product. If you're in retail you do it with honesty. Be truthful when speaking to customers. Don't be a 'sales person' be a friend.

They always say "the customer is always right." Though that's not always true, the idea behind it IS. If a customer asks you a question about a product they expect you to be the expert. So answer in a truthful way. Buyers aren't dumb anymore, they can tell when you're 'bullshitting' them. Your product may not be the best on the market, but a customer is more likely to come back to a business they can trust. If you make a mistake, take responsibility for it rather than trying to cover it up with a lie. The best way to handle negative situations is to apologize, correct the mistake and move on.

2. Have consistency... in EVERYTHING

Tip number two is to be consistent in every aspect of your business. If your business is a service then keep your pricing and timing consistent with each and every job. In all types of business your employees should all have similar personalities when talking to customers. Most people don't like to wear uniforms, but it is ideal to have brand representatives dressed similarly so customers know who to speak to when they have questions. It's a form of reassurance.

Since I'm a designer, consistency is one of my ten commandments when making marketing materials for my clients. Most often your advertising and identity materials are the first impression you're going to make with a potential customer. You must have a strategy to be successful with marketing and consistency must be in the strategy. Your logo must convey the same message and colors as your business card, letterhead and everything else.

The design of the materials must align with the personality of your brand. One of my least favorite local brands Community Choice Credit Union. Their business is long lived (1953) and experienced. But their marketing materials convey a sense of youth and all around unreliability. Their website is loaded with different colors, difficult to navigate, and no main focus besides the slideshow of confusing imagery.

3. Interact And Make Friends

Your brand should be treated as a person. It has its own personality and customers react to it. Today it is so easy to 'mingle' with your customers through social media, in-store, and through mobile applications. Too many people try to use their social media pages to "advertise" to their followers. What they need to be doing is interacting and building trust and loyalty. Use 'posts' to establish your expertise in your industry. Ask followers questions to get them to interact and have fun with your brand. Most importantly, don't expect social media to make sales for you, but rather use it to create loyalty. If a customer "LIKES" your page they've already stated a satisfaction with your brand. So use the page to keep them happy.

I'm always interested to hear your thoughts. Comment if you wish and if you have more questions about how to keep your customers contact me here.

BE AMBITIOUS.