Typography plays a key role in balancing textual and visual content in your customized packaging design.
Typography plays a key role in balancing textual and visual content in your customized packaging design.
As more and more brands join the race, brands are looking for a way to set themselves apart, attract customers, and influence their decision to purchase.
That’s where packaging design comes into play.
Packaging design consists of many elements, from choosing a color that showcases the brand, structure, typography, and many more; combining all these elements creates a customer experience right from the start.
Packaging is key for brands to establish their presence in the market.
Keeping other things aside, let’s go with the typography.
Typography plays a key role in balancing textual and visual content in your customized packaging design.
Information on your packaging plays a key factor in your packaging, and it’s hard to go for minimal text. But, on the other hand, if you miss any critical information, it might affect the overall product sales and brand reputation.
That’s why choosing the right aesthetic text that complements your packaging design is essential.
For example, when you see “M” with a yellow color on the packaging, McDonald’s strikes your mind, right? That’s how typography helps in brand recognition.
Let’s go deeper into the rabbit hole of Typography.
When it comes to branding, using fonts is much more than just making it look attractive; instead, it should convey the right message, make them take action, and know the meaning of the words they want to convey.
It involves understanding the actual characteristics of your brand; is it funny, trustworthy, enthusiastic, or any other. These traits need to be combined with your brand voice and fonts.
For example, architects and engineers work together to figure out the design and space of the building so that customers get the feel and functionality they are looking for.
Typography works very similarly. Designers decide on a brand’s typography that conveys the right message and balances your packaging design's aesthetic and valuable functions. In addition, it allows one to clearly and concisely understand what is being said.
You must understand that a font can convey emotions, moods, attitudes, and tones that affect customers' perceptions of your brand.
So, choosing the right one becomes important, right?
Let’s talk about some basic font classifications.
Remember that fonts are part of your brand’s visual identity and personality and represent it externally to attract potential customers. A branding agency can help you choose the right one that suits your brand’s personality.
As with most marketing strategies, the budget significantly impacts what you can do and what you cannot. Similarly, budget plays a crucial role in deciding the typography of your custom packaging design.
Millions of fonts are available to choose from that suit your brand's personality. But, the first thing is to consider the budget.
Some libraries offer free and open-source fonts, such as Google Fonts, Font Library, and more, but those offer a limited volume of fonts. On the other hand, there are licensable fonts that look more professional but come with licensing and additional fees.
Additional fees include buying different licenses to use on different print materials and other things - you might need to purchase separate licenses for each.
Your packaging is one of the first places potential customers will encounter your brand, so it's crucial to ensure that your typography conveys the right message.
The typefaces you use on your packaging should be legible and easy to read, but they should also reflect your brand's personality. For example, a playful brand might use a more whimsical typeface, while a luxury brand might use a more elegant one.
Whatever typefaces you choose, ensure they are well-designed and high quality. Your typography should reflect your brand and what it stands for. If you are confused, seek help from a brand design company or agency and choose the right font for your packaging design to convey the right message.
Making the typography legible is crucial, given that most people are visually impaired but not completely blind.
The fonts should be easily readable, especially from a distance. It’s essential if your packaging will be displayed on-shelf or in a retail shop. To enhance your package’s legibility, use larger fonts and high-contrast colors to make it easier to read.
In addition, designing simple shapes is better compared to complex shapes and designs.
If the typography isn’t straightforward enough, it might fail to convey a message to the consumer, making it more likely that the product will fail.
Finding the right size for your font matters, especially when it comes to packaging. There is a lot of information about the product, and choosing the perfect size matters.
When it comes to font size, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. The first is that the size of your font should be relative to the size of your packaging. For example, if you are designing a label for a small bottle, you will want to use a smaller font size than you would for a larger product.
Another thing to keep in mind is the age of your target audience. For example, you will want to use a larger font if you target an older audience. This is because older people tend to have poorer eyesight than younger people.
In addition, there are occasions where the font size is partially dictated to you, such as warning signs and government labels, or other crucial information related to the product that must have the required size to ensure that they’re easy to read for the consumer.
So, having readable font sizes matters a lot.
Another element to consider is text spacing between those two words. Again, the words shouldn’t be too close or too far apart; they must have proper spacing between them.
Packaging contains not only text but also the brand logo, instructions, barcodes, and a table of nutrition (in the case of packaging).
Regarding spacing, you need to know the two terms “leading and kerning.”
Leading refers to the space from baseline to baseline between lines of text called “Line Spacing.” The fonts, shapes, and looks of your packaging vary greatly. Lines of equal size and weight should be spaced equally.
Another term is “Kerning,” the horizontal spacing between a pair of letters and the change of that space. There should be a proper kernel type that will not have large or unusual gaps between letters, with even spacing throughout.
Too much or too little spacing can make reading and understanding difficult.
For example, you visited a coffee shop to grab some coffee. Imagine two scenarios -
Which one would you prefer? It’s Probably the first one, right?
A similar thing goes with your packaging typography. Every element should be aligned correctly, or else it might look unorganized and fall apart. Alignment provides a robust structure to your graphic, balancing each element to make it look straightforward, professional, and crisp.
Consumers will find it easier to understand the design and follow a picture-perfect logical sequence of the package.
White space refers to the space surrounding the elements—the area around the packaging, like the text or image that appears within your packaging design.
Too much text on the packaging can make it hard for consumers to read, which can have a negative impact on your brand. In contrast, if there is too much white space, the packaging might look empty, and only colors might appear.
So, choosing a balanced white space becomes crucial as it makes content easier to read, creates a balance between different elements, enhances visual appearance, and places more emphasis on certain elements.
White space also provides your packaging design with a simple look. It reflects the user-friendliness of the product and communicates a sense of simplicity. As a result, the design looks more refined than it could be.
The hierarchy gives consumers more attention to visualizing details like colors, size, and alignment to organize them effectively. The main aim is to organize a piece of text and highlight the importance of information.
Using proper hierarchy, a visual can identify the text clearly and separate it from the rest. An effective packaging hierarchy tells your brand’s story and unique selling proposition in the correct order.
Smart and consistent use of hierarchy will make your design beautiful and attract many customers, highlighting the product's unique features. Consumers will be attracted to the product when they boldly find its essential features in front of them.
When choosing the right font for your customized packaging design, it is crucial to remember that your chosen typography can establish brand recognition.
Keep in mind that your chosen typography can establish brand recognition. Choosing a clean and modern font can give your packaging design a polished look, while a more playful font can add personality. Whatever font you choose, make sure it's legible, conveys the brand message, and attracts customers with a bold look.
Bizongo has some unique solutions to find the perfect font for your packaging and brand identity that aid in marketing and converting prospects to consumers.
We are Desworks, the design arm of Bizongo. We design brands, packaging, products and have delivered 85+ successful projects in the last 5 years of our existence.
Our winning formula for brands, packaging has a mix of aesthetics, functionality, and experience.
We Bizongo Desworks are here to make your (brand, product & packaging) design work.