Welcome to Part 3 of our Refresh Your Branding series! In the previous two blogs, we discussed how to choose the right colours and how to tweak your logo to enhance your branding.
Today, we'll be focusing on FONTS and how to choose the best ones for your Wix website.
Fonts and colours can have a powerful impact on how your brand is perceived. Each font has its own unique style and characteristics that can evoke different emotions and convey specific messages.
By choosing fonts that align with your brand's personality, you can communicate emotions, attitudes, and values that are associated with your brand message. Fonts can be just as important as colours and logos in reflecting your brand's identity.
In this post, we'll explore the different types of fonts and their characteristics, and provide tips on how to choose the right fonts to enhance your website's overall look and feel.
So grab a coffee, settle in, and get ready to elevate your website game!
Fonts: What Are They and Why Are They Important?
A font is a set of characters, numbers, and symbols that share a consistent design and style. They come in different styles, such as serif, sans-serif, script, and display, and can be customised with different weights, sizes, and colours to create a specific look and feel.
Fonts play a significant role in your website's appearance and can influence how your business is perceived. They not only serve as text but also convey emotions, moods, and personality. By choosing an easy-to-read font that aligns with your brand's personality, you can establish trust, improve recognition, and boost engagement with your audience.
Picking the right font is crucial as it can significantly impact your website's readability, accessibility, and overall user experience. Selecting fonts that match your brand's personality and are easy to read will enhance your website's overall look and feel, while choosing a font that clashes with your brand's personality can be distracting and potentially drive away customers.
Types of fonts and their characteristics
When it comes to choosing the right fonts for your Wix website, it's important to understand the different types of fonts that are available. Here are the main categories of fonts:
Serif Fonts:
Serif fonts can feel classic, traditional, and formal. They convey a sense of safety, reliability, authority, history, respectability, and honesty. The little "feet" on the letters can create a sense of structure and stability, which can be comforting and reassuring to readers. Because of their traditional associations, serif fonts can be used to evoke a sense of respectability and timelessness.
Serif fonts work well when there is a lot of text to be read, as the serifs help guide the eye along the lines of text and aid in readability. They are often used in print materials such as books, newspapers, and academic papers, where the goal is to convey a serious or informative tone.
Sans-Serif Fonts:
Sans-serif fonts, on the other hand, have clean simple lines without extra flourishes. They can feel clean, modern, and minimalistic. They convey a sense of simplicity, innovation, and efficiency. Without the small lines or "feet" at the ends of each letter, sans-serif fonts have a more streamlined and straightforward appearance.
Sans-serif fonts can be used to create a modern and forward-thinking image, and are often chosen for branding and logo design. They come in a variety of styles, from geometric and minimalist to more rounded and friendly designs, allowing for flexibility in their use across a range of design applications. They are often associated with digital media and interfaces, and are easy to read in smaller sizes and on digital screens. This makes them a popular choice for web design and digital marketing materials.
Script Fonts:
Script fonts mimic the look of handwriting, with letters that flow and connect to one another, They can feel elegant, romantic, and sophisticated. They are designed to mimic the fluid strokes of handwriting, and can evoke a sense of nostalgia and traditional femininity. Script fonts can convey a sense of beauty, grace, and refinement, and are often used in wedding invitations, greeting cards, and other formal or celebratory settings.
They are not typically used for large blocks of text, but can be effective for use in logos, branding, or headlines where the goal is to create a sense of sophistication or luxury. Script fonts come in a variety of styles, from ornate and flourished to more simple and streamlined designs, allowing for a range of creative expression in design.
Display Fonts:
Display fonts are the most decorative and attention-grabbing type of fonts, often featuring unique and elaborate designs. They are designed to grab attention and make a statement. Display fonts often have a playful or whimsical feel, and are not meant to be used for large blocks of text. Instead, they are best suited for use in headlines, titles, and other short pieces of text where the goal is to draw the reader's attention.
Display fonts can convey a sense of creativity, individuality, and fun, and are often used in advertising, packaging design, and other marketing materials where the goal is to make a bold statement. Because of their distinctiveness, they can help a brand or product stand out in a crowded market. Display fonts come in a wide range of styles, from retro and vintage to modern and futuristic, allowing for a range of creative expression in design.
Handwritten Fonts
Handwritten fonts can bring a personal and authentic touch to your website or brand. They can make your text feel more friendly, approachable, and playful. However, they can also be difficult to read if overused or if the handwriting is too stylized. Handwritten fonts are best used in small doses for headers, subheadings, or other decorative elements to add a touch of personality to your design. When paired with a simpler font for body text, they can create a harmonious balance that is both visually appealing and easy to read.
Choosing the best fonts
Now that you know about the different types of fonts, it's time to choose the right fonts for your website.
In general, it's best to stick to two or three fonts at most to maintain a cohesive and consistent look across your website and any other branding materials.
Once you've decided on the type of font you want to use (serif, sans serif, script, handwritten or display), you can start searching online for fonts you like.
Finding the right fonts online
Wix's range of built-in fonts:
If you're using Wix to build your website, you'll have access to a range of built-in fonts that you can use without having to search for them online. To access these fonts, simply go to the 'Font' settings in the Wix editor and browse through the available options. Wix offers a variety of fonts, from classic serifs to modern sans serifs and stylish script fonts. Using built-in fonts can save you time and effort, but if you're looking for something more unique or personalised, you may want to explore other options as well.
While the Wix fonts are free to use on your website, they may not be free to use in your branding materials outside of your website. It's important to check if the font is free for commercial use before using it in your branding materials.
Popular sites for finding fonts:
Some of the most popular sites for finding fonts include Google Fonts, Font Squirrel, and DaFont. These sites offer a wide variety of free and paid fonts that you can use for your branding and website design.
Once you've found the perfect fonts for your brand, it's a good idea to test them out before committing to them. Use them in your website design, social media graphics, and other marketing materials to see how they look in different contexts.
Here are some places to look for fonts:
Checking font usage rights
When selecting a font for your website, it's important to ensure that you have the necessary permission to use it and avoid copyright infringement. There are both free and paid options available when it comes to finding fonts online.
Free Fonts:
If you're looking for free fonts, you need to find fonts that say free for commercial use or open source. Otherwise, you may need to pay for them in order to avoid copyright infringement.
Fonts that say free for personal use can't be used for commercial purposes (which includes website design and branding). So if your favourite font happens to be free for personal use, you will need to pay for the licensing to use it on your website. And there's benefit in purchasing a font. Read on below!
Paid Fonts:
Paid fonts are a good option if you're looking for something more unique or personalised. Purchased fonts are typically not as widely used as free fonts, which can help you create a more unique brand identity. When choosing a paid font, be sure to read the license agreement carefully to make sure you have permission to use it on your website and in your branding.
Pairing fonts for a cohesive look
Choosing the right fonts for your website can make a huge difference in how it's perceived by your audience. However, using multiple fonts can be challenging, especially if you're not familiar with typography. That's why it's important to know how to pair fonts effectively to create a cohesive look.
Choose 2 fonts that complement one another:
You need to choose 2 fonts (3 max!) for your website and branding. Here are some tips to help you get started:
1 x main brand font (for headings): Start by selecting a main brand font that will be used for headings and in graphic elements. It needs to be unique and memorable, so find a font that has a strong personality and conveys the mood and tone of your brand
1 x font (for body copy): The second font is for your body copy or paragraph text. It needs to be easy to read in paragraph format, so script or handwritten fonts are not a good idea. Make sure it's versatile and comes in multiple weights (regular, bold, italic) so that you can format your text and make it easier to read
Pick 2 different styles: Consider pairing two different styles of fonts to create contrast and visual interest. For example, pairing a script font with a sans-serif font can create a nice balance between elegance and modernity
Use font pairings resources: There are many resources available online that can help you find font pairings that work well together. Some of our favourites include Pinterest, Google Fonts, Canva and Font Pair
Remember, the goal of font pairing is to create a cohesive and consistent look for your website. By following these tips and experimenting with different font combinations, you'll be able to find the perfect pairings to bring your brand to life!
NOTE: If you have the paid version of Canva and have designed your logo in there, it doesn't necessarily mean that you can use that font freely on your website. Yes, you can use it in your logo for free, but if you want to download that font from the internet to use in your other branding/website and it's not free, you will need to purchase it.
Using custom fonts in Wix websites
Using custom fonts in Wix can be a great way to give your website a unique look and feel. With Wix, you can easily upload your own custom fonts and use them throughout your website. To do this, simply go to the "Font Manager" in the Wix editor, and click on the "Add Fonts" button. From there, you can upload your custom font files and use them in your website's design.
Create Your Own Brand Board on Canva
Now that you've updated your logo, it's time to organise and document all your branding elements in one place.
We recommend using a brand board to keep everything visually consistent and easily accessible.
Here's how to create your own brand board using the Canva template we've provided:
Click the 'get template' button in your email
Customise the template to your liking by adding your logos
Save your brand board in a folder on Canva that you can come back to later
And it's as simple as that! By updating your logo, you're creating a strong and memorable brand identity, and you're playing an intentional role in choosing how your audience perceives your brand.
And there's more to see! In the rest of this series, we dive into colours, logos, and imagery to complete your brand board. So make sure you've signed up to our mailing list and keep an eye out for our emails.
Hi there! I'm Caitlin Pieters, a Wix Website Design & Brand Strategist with over 2 decades of experience working in the creative industry. Originally from South Africa, I'm now based in London, UK.
I'm passionate supporting small business owners and helping them build brilliant Wix websites that connect and convert. In 2017, I started my own journey into self-employment to work with purpose-led business owners and help them create websites that truly reflect who they are. I believe in the power of collaboration and am committed to helping more women to achieve financial security through self-employment.
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