Design Tips: How to Effectively Use Fonts and Where to Get Them

Did you find this article helpful?

  • Yes

    Votes: 6 100.0%
  • No

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    6

Kaleb

Member
Design Tips: How should we use fonts to create more effective designs? Where can we find the perfect fonts to use for our projects? Continue reading to find out!

*This thread is mainly for beginners, but if you are not there may still be some valuable information enclosed below.

INTRODUCTION
Hello, my name is Kaleb and I do freelance graphic and motion design. As a designer, I understand how important fonts are and how instrumental they can be in most situations when used correctly. In this article you will learn a few simple tecniques on how to properly use fonts and also an amazing resource for finding the perfect font for any purpose. If that sounds good to you, then let's get started!

* * *
RULES ABOUT USING FONTS
Believe it or not, there are proper and improper ways to use fonts that will change how effective your design is. For example, if you are restricted to a very small area to have your text, it would be recommended to use a very clear font type that is still very readable when displayed in a small font size, and not an overly decorative font that would make it harder to read and understand. In a very different situation when you have plenty of room and have opportunity to add some stylistic personality to your design, it would be a good choice to use a more decorative or stylistic font, as long as it reads well and it's style works well with the rest of the design.

Here are some key factors to remember when using fonts:

  1. Readability - Is it comfertable to the eyes / easy to understand?
  2. Style - Does it fit in with the rest of your design?
  3. Size - What dimensions are you working with? Does the font remain clear in smaller sizes?
  4. Color - Is the color of the font making it harder to read? Is the color clashing with the background?
Now, I am just going out on a whim here, but I am guessing you are a YouTuber. If that is true then you will constantly be working with video thumbnails---a very important factor when it comes to the clickability of your videos and ultimately getting views. It is known that YouTube thumbnails are displayed as fairly small images, so I would recommend (in most cases) that you use a simple/clear font that remains readable in smaller sizes (point #3). The color can also play a large part in the readability of the text as well (point #4).

Hopefully these simple rules will help guide you next time you are working on a thumbnail or channel art. If these points seem obvious to you, then wonderful! Put your knowledge about design to work!


* * *

"Okay, so I know how to use fonts effectively now, but where can I find the right fonts to use? There are so many fonts scattered about the internet, is there a good resource for discovering the fonts I need?"

WHERE TO FIND AND DOWNLOAD THE PERFECT FONTS - DAFONT.COM
Sometimes it can be frustrating when you just can't seem to find the font you are looking for. Well, I may have the perfect website that may aid you in finding and downloading the right fonts. The website is called "dafont" dot com (please don't shoot me for referring the good people of this forum to another website that will save them time and energy and open many doors to endless creative opportunities and endeavors).

The website is essentially a massive library of different types of fonts divided up into categories for our convenience. I use the website all the time for my design projects and if you are not already familiar with it, then I strongly recommend that you do so. There are so many amazing fonts on the website and there are some pretty interesting ones that you could be the first to start using. So go check out the website and let me know what you think of it in the comments of this thread!

Here are a few fonts from dafont that I think are pretty cool:

Fonts from Dafont.com!
b2b036ef0b.png

dfbeb2a5b1.png

1d292e9ece.png

8312e8d180.png

280c452e0c.png

They also have some really neat dingbats in their collection as well!
da110cf1ce.png

And for you Lord of the Rings fans (including myself!)...
8c66f17716.png


...and those are just a few of the thousands of fonts on the website. Go have a browse!

CONCLUSION
If you made it this far, I hope you have either learned a few things or discovered a great new resource for grabbing some cool fonts. Just remember the simple guidelines and you will be golden! Let me know in the comments below what your favorite font is along with an image so that we can see what it looks like. Happy browsing!

Thanks for reading and have a nice day/night!


Kaleb
Instep Studios
 
Last edited:
I love using Photoshop and am also using a lot of fonts (all from dafont). I think I already know how to handle fonts with thumbnails and so on.
I need to say I really like this thread cause it can help a lot of people out there! Thumbnails are very important nowadays besides your avatar and channel art. So I think it's important to take some time and try to create an awesome thumbnail with a perfect fitting font :D

I just love the simple sans serif fonts. My favorite one is Bebas/Bebas Neue and I use it in basically all my thumbnails on YouTube! :smug:
 
Da Fonts is a great place to find fonts they are really cool some of them but some are just awesome for certain thumbnails and channel art designs love that site :)
 
I love using Photoshop and am also using a lot of fonts (all from dafont). I think I already know how to handle fonts with thumbnails and so on.
I need to say I really like this thread cause it can help a lot of people out there! Thumbnails are very important nowadays besides your avatar and channel art. So I think it's important to take some time and try to create an awesome thumbnail with a perfect fitting font :D

I just love the simple sans serif fonts. My favorite one is Bebas/Bebas Neue and I use it in basically all my thumbnails on YouTube! :smug:
Yeah, fonts are powerful. This article was mainly intended for possibly less experienced designers or any YouTubers starting out. Making your first thumbnail can be tricky!

And yes, the Bebas fonts are wonderful, especially for thumbnails![DOUBLEPOST=1422553565,1422553410][/DOUBLEPOST]
Da Fonts is a great place to find fonts they are really cool some of them but some are just awesome for certain thumbnails and channel art designs love that site :)
Yes, it is an awesome site. I am glad you are aware of it!
 
Hello everyone,

I saw this thread and I thought it would be nice to share a good website where I get my fonts.
I use "urbanfonts.com", it has a lot of fonts, different styles and good quality
 
Hello everyone,

I saw this thread and I thought it would be nice to share a good website where I get my fonts.
I use "urbanfonts.com", it has a lot of fonts, different styles and good quality
Great find, another awesome source for all of us. Thanks for sharing!
 
Thanks for sharing! I prefer simple thumbnails, those with a lot of colors or information get me dizzy.
 
Back
Top