You may not know this about us, but we at DesignCrowd are totally pro equal opportunity in design, and we could never stand by and watch an injustice. Yet, for years an old trusty friend of ours has been shunned, called stuffy and impractical, and left to gather dust in the corner by the design community at large. We're talking, of course, about serif fonts.
Serif fonts were often used in the past as they work particularly well for the printed word – the small strokes projecting from the main stroke of each character (the serif) helps letters to stand out clearly, which makes the brain recognize words and letters more readily.
Unfortunately that same tiny stroke can be a real nuisance when trying to make content readable on a screen, especially a tiny screen, so as the way we receive text and information changed, so did our preference in fonts.
But serif fonts are anything but history. A beautiful serif font can be just the thing your perfect logo or web design is looking for. As with every design element, you should ask yourself what approach will best fit your brief and reach your target audience. And if serif fits the bill, don't worry. It's totally still cool to use, even if some people may tell you otherwise.
To help us convince you, we've found a few examples in areas where serif fonts can still rock your design.
Logos
As in any design area, choosing design elements all comes down to your audience and brief. And trust us, there's still pleeeenty of people who will be drawn to a serif logo. It may actually help you stand out. It's the perfect design shorthand for conveying history and formality.
Playing with serif fonts can actually give you more design options too, as you can adjust different line weights to create your perfect ratio between the main strokes and accents.
Just make sure the logo is scalable, remembering serifs can be tricky to read on small devices, and even the most old school businesses tend to have at least some form of online presence these days. A good option is to go with a monogram of a single serif letter, which will definitely stay legible.
Here are some more examples in case you're not convinced:
SEE MORE: Serif Logos on BrandCrowd.
Print Design
The original purpose of serif fonts still holds true, so sometimes using a serif font might be a practical choice as well as an aesthetic one. If you've got to design a print document, like newsletters or magazines, corporate documents or even a whole book, serif fonts are your friend, because the more text you've got to deal with the easier serif will make it to read. It works because the serifs help the eyes "flow" horizontally across the page and make each letter stand on their own.
Check out these for more great examples:
Pairings
Segregation is another thing we at DesignCrowd aren't fond off, we see no reason why fonts should need to be kept apart. Serif and sans serif can work beautifully together to create a modern and unusual product. It's high time designers started considering text and type as another design element and an important part of the overall design rather than an afterthought.
Serif and sans serif can combine to create sleek and modern yet easily readable documents, they can help important words stand out from the crowd and make the whole reading experience more engaging. Just have fun and trust your designer's eye to figure out what works and what doesn't.
Here are a few more examples of the stuff that definitely works:
Want More?
If you're a type nerd, then you've come to the right place. See more Font Logos on BrandCrowd or check out these article to help hone your skills:
Typographic Terms Every Designer Should Know
The Typographic Terms You Need To Know To Turn You Into An Expert Designer
Top 25 Free Fonts of 2015 Designer Collection
Written by Divya Abe on Thursday, February 25, 2016
Divya Abe is an expert graphic designer ready to share her knowledge with the crowd. Besides spending quality time on the internet she enjoys anything to do with cats. Get in touch via Google+.
