To make a well-designed infographic, it’s important to establish for yourself what sizes, weights, and fonts you're using throughout different sections. It’s not enough to just pick a few fonts and use them however you want. Choose with purpose, not just because you like a font you see in a list somewhere. Instead, try to think about typography as a complementary element of your whole theme.
There’s no right answer when it comes to picking fonts for your infographic. Could the author have used a different font family in it? Of course! The point is the font that was chosen subjectively, by the designer, to fit the theme they were aiming for. Through the use of bright colors and easy-to-read fonts, the infographic feels very whimsical. The next infographic showcases a different serif font. In contrast, the creator of the next infographic used a mix of serif fonts and sans serif fonts, creating a very sleek, classic look that pairs well with the topic of cooking. The result is a very minimalist and futuristic design that correlates well with the topic: online learning. In the example below, the author decided to use sans serif fonts throughout. Sometimes, it helps to take a look at other infographics to grasp how you should think about thematic design. Alternatively, if your infographic is meant for kids, it might be more appropriate to use cartoonish display fonts.
If the goal of your infographic is to share data, you probably want to make the infographic look more professional than cartoonish. Then think about the audience and intent of your infographic. Are you trying to convey a playful or serious tone? Humorous or dark? The first step to picking fonts is to think about the theme or topic of your infographic.
If you’re not sure where to begin, try using a tool like Font Pair to get designer-recommended font groupings. That said, experienced designers tend to have strong preferences for which fonts to use and which fonts not to use. When it comes to choosing fonts, there are millions of options. Some popular display fonts include Lobster, Alfa Slab One, and Unica One (see below). Typically, display fonts are used as a focal point in a design so that it draws the reader's eye to one spot. How are they used? Generally speaking, most designers agree that you should really only use display fonts as headers to set the mood and theme of your design. The might be cursive or handwriting fonts or just funky fonts meant for specific types of design. Still, many designers on the web tend to use them for body text as well, so it’s mostly a matter of preference and trend.ĭisplay font families are fonts that are more playful by design. How are they used? While serif fonts are considered to be best for body text, sans serif fonts are considered to be better for section headers, captions, lists and titles in your infographic. Some of the most popular fonts in this family include Roboto, Helvetica, and Arial. Sans serifs are fonts that do not have small lines or embellishments attached to the ends of letters.
When you’re first starting out, it’s a good idea to keep this use in mind. However, this preference mostly stems from historical precedence: we’re used to reading Times New Roman in books and white papers, therefore there is the precedence that the font type is generally “easier to read” in large bodies of text. How are they used? One common argument is that serif fonts should be used as body text because it’s easier to read them in large blocks of text. These embellishments are called “serifs.” Common fonts such as Times New Roman and Merriweather are examples of serifs. Serif fonts are fonts that have small lines or embellishments attached to the letters. Each has different purposes and common uses among designers. If you don’t know much about typography, here’s the biggest thing you need to know: there are three main categories of font families: serifs, sans serifs, and display fonts. The Do's and Don'ts of Infographic Typography DO: Stick to the primary categories of font families. Getting good at choosing the fonts for your designs is difficult, but here are a few guidelines to get you started. Different designers have different fonts tastes, and any designer could any number of fonts in their designs. Besides the fact that there are thousands of options, finding the “right” font is actually really subjective. After all, picking the right fonts is exceptionally hard. One of the most important, but least considered parts of designing an infographic is typography.
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The following is an excerpt from Do's and Don'ts of Infographic Design, a free guide we created with our friends at leading graphic design software company Venngage.