Two basic principles have guided the simultaneous development of calligraphy, typefaces, and post-modern fonts—legibility and aesthetics.  As you choose a font for your documents and website, you first must choose between legibility and aesthetics.  The choice, however, should not seem altogether unfamiliar; you have been taught to make the choice since the first moment you became literate. 

Remember when it was called penmanship?

The generation that came-of-age on “Dick and Jane” readers also devoted hours to perfecting the fine and difficult arts of spelling and penmanship, both of which our PCs now manage with ease.  Just about every “baby-boomer” vividly can remember a green-and-yellow chart posted above the chalk board in every first- second, and third grade classroom across the United States and Canada.  The chart showed the letters of the alphabet and the ten basic digits, and it featured little arrows that showed eager learners how to form the letters and numbers.  In fourth and fifth grades, “cursive” letters replaced the “primary” letters, because industrialists recognized cursive writing as far more efficient than “manuscript” printing—the same principle that guided development of “chancery cursive” in seventeenth century courtrooms.  The two styles of handwriting live on in Helvetica type faces and all the fonts labelled as “script.”  Primary printing is far more legible than cursive; cursive is far more efficient—and aesthetic-- than primary printing. 

To serif or not to serif

The term originates in medieval monks’ manipulation of their quills as they crafted their letters.  If you ever have picked-up and experimented with a calligraphy pen, you immediately have noticed that the pen carries a distinctive  “chisel” point instead of the ball to which your Bic has accustomed you.  The chisel-point preserves the attributes of a quill, and the secret to good calligraphy lives in your ability to hold that straight chiselled edge at a perfect 45-degree angle to the paper.  The angle creates the thin spots and the bulges in your letters as you curve your lines to form them.  The “serif” adds an extra little flourish at the beginning or end of your tracing motion.  

 If you look carefully at Times New Roman and Helvetica placed side-by side, you will see that the letters’ basic formation remains constant, but Times New Roman adds serifs.  As typefaces and fonts evolved, “serif” and “sans serif” distinguished different publishing houses and different kinds of texts.  Serifs allegedly add art and dignity to a font.  Baby-boomers saw the difference all the way through high school and college, but they probably did not recognize it: “Literature” books always used fonts with serifs; textbooks always used “sans serif”—clean and neat—fonts.  Publishers reproduced “Literature,” part of the arts, with aesthetics in mind; they produced textbooks with a premium on legibility, which promotes easy comprehension.

Your website imprints your brand

Everything about the design and development of your website must imprint your distinctive brand on your customers’ consciousness.  Your intention to imprint your brand especially guides your selection of fonts. 

Letters and colours

Think about the most recognizable logos and brands all around the world: The Coca Cola trademark ought to come immediately to mind.  From their humble Atlanta beginnings, the marketers and merchandisers at Coke have known how to imprint their brand.  They indelibly have etched their lettering—the regular cursive handwriting of an early-days secretary—and their colour into the world’s consciousness.  The Home Depot, another home-grown Atlanta brand, took Coca Cola’s tricks to the next level, using colour and lettering to create an immediately recognizable logo, then creating a patented font that reinforced the look and feel of all their advertising.  Art and Bernie also created “Homer D. Poe,” their iconic caricature of a do-it-yourselfer, to illustrate their print ads and circulars.  Not quite as big worldwide as Coca Cola, The Home Depot nevertheless has developed instant recognition in the United States and Canada—almost as if they had invented orange. 

Web aesthetics 101

Even if you must develop your website according to someone else’s template, you immediately must begin putting your signature on it: Choose a colour palette and stay with it.  Choose just one font and stay with it.  Although they do not think about it, customers subliminally judge your integrity according to the consistency of your website design and navigation.  Do not change the rules from page-to-page.  Your own experience on the web will inform your design, but researchers have found three fundamental web aesthetics drive sales.

·      Top of the page—Put the good stuff at the top of the landing page.  You know what your customers want.  Put it at the top of the first page, bold and bright and easily clickable.  Exercise some caution, though, keeping in mind that capital letters are the internet equivalent of screaming, and exclamation points are the internet equivalent of hysteria.  Most of all, keep the stuff at the top of the page as elegant as possible—just enough of just the right stuff.  Boldly make the statement in a way that people easily can read and remember it.

·      Legibility—Research has shown that web-surfers prefer legibility to art.  The two old standards still prevail among font choices.  Times New Roman and Arial, a derivative of Helvetica, remain by far the most popular fonts, and their users usually show respect for their respective aesthetics.  Times New Roman suggests seriousness and dignity.  Arial suggests a simple, no-nonsense, take-care-of-business approach to interacting with customers.

·      Animation—Your customers are spoiled: YouTube and all their favourite cable stations have taught them to expect action.  Although your site cannot become so busy it gives your customers ADD, it should include features that engage them—especially clickables that use print to reveal video.

We were approached by Mike Andrus, founder of Andrus Business Advisors in Idaho Falls, to create a logo for his new company. The logo needed to reflect the professional and conservative nature of his business - they provide business valuation and outsourced CFO (Chief Financial Officer) services.

We ended up creating two logo options. One that is appropriate for use at the top of letterhead and another more traditional layout that will work nicely on business cards, shirts, envelopes, etc.

Andrus Business Advisors does not currently have a web site (we hope to help remedy that soon), but you can view their other contact information below.