Typography can make or break the success of a presentation’s design. Selecting the right typefaces for your next PowerPoint is an important decision for your audience, your brand, and your message.
Here are four key factors to consider when choosing the right fonts for your next presentation deck or template.
Brand
Choosing the right font relates directly to who you are as an organisation. Matching your brand personality to a font type is hard, especially when you don’t understand the different font personalities. Here are the six basic typography classifications and their personalities:
- Serif – fonts that are classic, traditional and trustworthy
- Sans serif – fonts that are modern, minimal and clean
- Slab serif – fonts that are bold, quirky and confident
- Script – fonts that are elegant and unique
- Handwritten – fonts that are informal and artistic
- Decorative – fonts that are stylized, distinctive and dramatic
Once you’ve decided what font-type aligns best with your brand identity consider how you might personalise it for your brand.
Set the tone
Setting the right tone is really important for any presentation and your typography can help you do that well. The font you select should help evoke the emotions of your audiences. Whether you want to excite, warn or encourage your audience – there is a font that will help you create the right tone.
Legibility
Readability is the most important thing when it comes to slide design. It doesn’t matter if your typeface matches your brand personality perfectly, making sure your messages are legible will create the most impact for your audience. Help your audience understand what you are communicating as quickly and easily as possible with a font that is readable at a variety of sizes.
Use contrast
When you choose multiple fonts, be sure to choose fonts that create contrasting differences. This can help an audience differentiate between what the most important message is and the specific details. But remember that contrast is not the same as conflict. Font combinates should create harmony, not confusion! Establishing a clear hierarchy between two fonts is really important, this can be achieved by varying the size and weight of each typeface.
Choosing the right font is an important part of connecting with your audiences and making sure your message is heard and READ clearly. With thousands of paid and free fonts now available to choose from, choosing the right font can be overwhelming. Ensuring your fonts align with your brand, set the right tone and are legible and contrasted will ensure you choose the right fonts for your next presentation.