Valuable Tips for Choosing the Right Sign Font

By Mike Shabluk | December 5, 2023

Being able to help clients pick a suitable sign font is a skill every sign professional should have. When your business is hired to create custom signage, you want to ensure the client is happy with the finished product. And to do that, you need to take several factors into consideration, including the following:

• Selecting shades that complement the client’s existing color scheme
• Making sure the display will fit in the desired location
• Getting the client’s intended message across to visitors

These are all important to keep in mind during the initial design phase, but the last is the most crucial. After all, a sign is meant to inform, direct, promote, or identify. If visitors don’t understand what a sign is trying to convey, the display hasn’t fulfilled its purpose. 

And that means you’ll have a dissatisfied client on your hands—one whose negative feedback could hurt future sales.

So, to avoid disappointing your client by presenting them with a sign that is difficult to read or comprehend, it’s best to use concise wording, non-distracting colors, and—most importantly—a legible font that fits the client’s own style.

Using the right font can make all the difference when it comes to creating a successful sign, which is why we’ve provided some valuable tips below.

But first, it’s worth discussing exactly why font choices matter…   

Why Sign Font Choices Matter

Some people don’t put much stock in the importance of sign font. They think it’s just another aspect of design that doesn’t have much of an effect on whether passersby view a display. As sign professionals, however, we know just how wrong that way of thinking is.

Like many other things, it’s never really noticed when a font is chosen well—only when it’s chosen poorly. For example, when we come across signage in an upscale restaurant with a fancy, almost completely illegible calligraphic font. Or we visit a law office marked by a display with Comic Sans…

When the wrong font is used on signage, visitors can have a negative impression of the facility where the display is installed. 

• If the font makes the sign difficult to read, visitors could get frustrated that they’re unable to navigate the building or get the information they need.
• If the font doesn’t fit the business’ brand and industry, visitors may not take the business seriously and choose to go to a competitor instead. 

But that’s not all…

Like other aspects of design, font can influence people’s emotions. This is where font psychology comes into play. Different character styles can evoke different feelings and behaviors. So, when you’re helping a client choose a font, it’s an opportunity to shape how people react to the sign’s messaging. 

On top of that, if a preapproved font isn’t used on ADA signage, a business may fail to achieve compliance, which can lead to hefty lawsuits and fines.  

Ultimately, the font can make or break a display’s intended message and purpose, affecting visitors’ perception of the business. That’s why it’s crucial to discuss this design aspect in great depth with your client

How to Choose a Font for a Sign

There isn’t really a one-size-fits-all approach to choosing the best font for a sign. What works for one client (or even one display) won’t necessarily work for another. However, there are some best practices to follow. Using these basic guidelines can help select the right sign font for maximum impact. 

Clean Characters

Depending on the type of sign you’re designing, there may be some room to play around with stylized text. However, it’s still best to choose a font with clean characters. Those with excessive embellishments, varying slants, or jagged edges can prove challenging for people to read. Both the entire text and each individual character should be clear and legible. 

Good Kerning

In addition to the characters themselves, you need to pay attention to the spacing between characters, which is where kerning comes in. Failing to select a sign font with good kerning can cause more work during design—and major issues if it’s not addressed before fabrication. Finding a font that makes the characters look evenly spaced and not crowded is recommended. That way, there’s no risk of the message being misread. 

Uniform Thickness

For signage, each character should be the same thickness as the rest. Additionally, the character itself should be consistent—no fading toward the ends or sections thicker than others. A font with uniform thickness increases the text’s legibility and visibility. It keeps viewers from having to squint or stand right next to the sign to read what it says.

Practical Fit

When choosing a font, you need to be sure it’s a practical fit for the sign you’re designing. It’s not just about legibility but also overall look. You should be able to scale the font up or down to make the text fit easily without affecting its appearance. 

Questions to Ask When Deciding on a Sign Font

When you’re working with a client to select the right font for their signage, the questions below may prove helpful. They’ll allow you to determine the appropriate style for not only their needs but also their visitors’ needs. By combining the responses with best practices, you can settle on a sign font that ensures the display won’t go unnoticed.

1. What type of business are you working with?

First and foremost, it’s important to consider the type of business your client has. What industry are they in, and who are their customers? Understanding how they want to be perceived by those who visit their facility can make selecting the right sign font much easier. 

For example, if your client operates in the B2B sector, they probably want to present a professional image to potential customers. In that case, a clean font such as… 

• Helvetica Neue (sans-serif font)
• Futura (sans-serif font)
• Simplifica (sans-serif font) 

…would work to reinforce that image. 

But if your client works in the B2C sphere, they may want to project a more laid-back persona to potential customers. Fonts such as Bavro (sans-serif font), Arcadia (sans-serif font), and Signika (sans-serif font) are fun and interesting options. And there are many more that can deliver the cool, informal look your client desires. 

2. Do they already use a specific font in other materials?

Consistency is key to developing a successful brand image. If your client already has a font they use on their website and in their print materials, choosing the same font for their signage is almost always the best move. Those who are familiar with your client’s business will easily recognize the font, thereby reinforcing the brand image in their minds. 

However, it’s worth noting that if your client uses a font with a lot of embellishments, it may be better to stick to a more basic font for directional signs and other displays that don’t need to be branded.  

3. Does their sign font need to be ADA compliant?

If a client has requested ADA-compliant signage, you’ll need to be careful in which font you choose. This is because the Americans with Disabilities Act has very strict guidelines regarding font style, size, and height. 

The rules for ADA-compliant fonts are as follows:

• 703.2.2 Case. Characters shall be uppercase.
• 703.2.3 Style. Characters shall be sans serif. Characters shall not be italic, oblique, script, highly decorative, or of other unusual forms.
• 703.2.4 Character Proportions. Characters shall be selected from fonts where the width of the uppercase letter “O” is 55 percent minimum and 110 percent maximum of the height of the uppercase letter “I.”
• 703.2.5 Character Height. Character height measured vertically from the baseline of the character shall be 5/8 inch (16 mm) minimum and 2 inches (51 mm) maximum based on the height of the uppercase letter “I.”

With these restrictions in mind, some examples of acceptable and commonly used fonts include Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Franklin Gothic, and Century Gothic. 

Takeaway

Selecting the right sign font for your client’s display is an extremely important task. It shouldn’t be taken lightly! Failing to put the time and effort into selecting a font that fits their brand image and needs could result in lost sales—for both your client’s business and your own.

If a client has enlisted your help to fabricate new signage for their facility, make sure to research their business, their industry, and their existing collateral to ensure you use an appropriate font. And if you lack the time, resources, or ADA knowledge to produce the best possible display for your client, don’t be afraid to outsource their order to a third party. The experts at Erie Custom Signs would be happy to help. So, feel free to reach out for a quote or more information.