Most brand identities work with two typefaces. One is responsible for the headlines, and it can be more characterful and louder, because it only has to carry a few words. The other is for the body text and longer paragraphs, so there readability is the most important consideration.
A type family contains several weights and styles, from thin to very bold, with italic versions. With a good choice the family has enough versions for both the headlines and the small labels to be built from the same typeface.
In a good pairing the two typefaces are different enough for the headlines to stand out, and related enough to feel as if they belong to one brand. A common solution is to pair a serif with a sans serif, though two sans serifs can also work well if their weight and proportions differ.
What we look for when choosing
- Whether the typeface supports all the accented characters your languages need, for example the Hungarian ő and ű
- Whether it has enough weights for headlines and emphasis
- Whether it reads well at small sizes, on a phone and in print
- How it behaves with numbers, for example in a table
On digital surfaces loading speed matters too. Every weight is a separate file the browser has to download, so on websites we only load the weights that are actually used. Before choosing, we try several pairings with real text, because a typeface looks different in a sample sentence than in a long paragraph.
Type carries a large part of a brand's voice. The same sentence feels different in a rounded, friendly typeface than in a lean, geometric one, so the choice of type always starts from the brand's positioning.
Next to the pairing we also define a hierarchy, meaning the size and line spacing of the heading levels and paragraphs. These rules go into the brand guidelines and the design system, so the same order applies on every surface.
If your brand already uses a typeface, it does not necessarily have to be replaced. Often it is enough to find a well-matched partner for it and settle which one is for what. In that case the existing typeface stays with the headlines or the text, and the new one takes over the missing role.
