One of the first things you have to choose when creating a logo is the font. Selecting the appropriate font is crucial since it conveys the identity and values of your company. Additionally, using two fonts can make your brand stand out from the competition.

That being said, this is not the appropriate situation to pair any font at random. There can be conflict when it comes to logo design; certain typefaces work well together, like peanut butter and jelly, while other fonts don’t work well together.

Fortunately, there exist rules that specify which font combinations go well together and which don’t! To assist you in selecting typefaces that work well together to produce a stunning, distinctive logo, we’ve put up a list of 11 guidelines (along with samples created using our logo maker).

1. Pair Two Fonts From the Same Font Family

If you want to make font-pairing easier on yourself, this is the way to go. Font families (serif, sans serif, slab serif, script, and decorative) were created as a way to classify fonts that are meant to complement each other. Sticking with fonts from the same family not only helps you narrow down your font choices but also ensures you have a cohesive look across your design. The Night Owl logo has a cohesive look nailed down! 

Fonts can elicit emotional and psychological reactions, as well as create associations with a brand. That’s why when you choose a font family, you should first understand what each one means and the industry it’s most used in.

You should look out for a font family that has varying style options; look for a range of weights (thickness or thinness of letters), sizes, and cases (uppercase or lowercase). 

2. A Chunky Font Pairs Well With a Skinnier One

In general, fonts pair well together when there’s a significant amount of contrast between them. Here, font weight (i.e., thickness or thinness of letters) is the point of contrast. Stout, chunky fonts often work well with tall, skinny ones.

This is because it’s easy for the viewer to distinguish between the 2 fonts, and understand that each plays a different role in the document or project. Both carry their weight (ha!) while serving different purposes – creating a complementary design overall.

Just like with the Bla Bla Bla Podcast logo, you can use a thick and thin font weight to achieve contrast in logo design. Not only does this help draw your eye to the design, but it also helps create a visual hierarchy with the “bla bla bla” part taking prominence over “podcast.” Visual hierarchy is the principle of arranging elements in a design to point out the order of importance. 

3. Try Tight Kerning With Looser Kerning

Kerning, in design terms, refers to the spacing between characters in a font. This is another great way to differentiate sections of your text, creating a hierarchy between fonts and showing your readers that they are looking at two distinct parts of a document.

Be creative, but don’t be too creative – a large amount of text with really loose kerning, for example, may cause a reader to lose interest, while too much tight kerning could make the text look like it’s overstuffed. Don’t be afraid to play around with the sizing of the text to help find a good balance.

Choosing font pairs that change up the spacing, on the other hand, will help balance out the piece.

4. Two Fonts With Complementary Moods

While this is more of a subjective call, there’s something rather intuitive about the way fonts feel when we look at them. You know what reads as professional and what comes off as funky or even just plain silly.

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For example, the font you’d use for a child’s birthday party invitation (perhaps a rounded, bubbly typeface) isn’t going to have the same feeling as the one used to head a business proposal. As you think about pairing fonts, pick ones that have similar vibes like Heavy Routine Fitness Center’s logo. 

5. Use Serif and Sans Serif Together

Serif fonts like Times New Roman have decorative flourishes or “feet” at the end of strokes. Sans serif fonts, such as Arial, are a category of typefaces without those flourishes. Pairing serifs and sans serifs is a classic and easy way to create balance in your logo design while having enough contrast to differentiate between the different parts of your logo. 

However, you’ll still want to make sure that the serif and sans serif pair you choose have different weights and overall styles so that the fonts don’t come across as too similar (see tip #9). 

In the Book Club logo, the serif gives “book” a refined, sophisticated touch, while the sans serif balances it with a clean and intriguing vibe (bonus points for the perfectly spaced kerning!). 

6. Try a Traditional Heading with a Decorative Body

Remember when we talked about visual hierarchy (hint: Tip 2)? Well, in logo design, it’s a good idea to pair fonts according to the role they’ll play or their level in the hierarchy.

Headings are usually meant to attract the most attention and often claim the font with the largest size and most weight. They also set the tone for your brand since it’s usually the first thing the eye is drawn to. 

In the case of Mystic Theory Beauty, using a traditional font in the heading tells their audience they’re to expect a reliable, modern brand. By using a script body font, the 2 contrast and create a visually appealing effect. 

7. Use a Decorative Heading with a More Traditional Body

If you’re looking to convey fun or lightheartedness through your logo, a decorative heading and traditional body will set that tone. The decorative heading will come off as relaxed, and the traditional body will relay a more professional impression

Not sure if you noticed that this is tip 6 reversed (keeping you on your toes!). The point is that changing up the font between the header and body text can create a contrast that takes your logo up a notch. However, if decorative and traditional fonts don’t suit your logo design, no worries—there are plenty of font combinations you should try. 

8. Don’t Use Fonts That Are Too Similar

Repeat after me: Contrast, contrast, contrast!

This should always be in the back of your mind when pairing 2 fonts. This is one of the main reasons that serif and sans-serif fonts pair well together (see tip 5).

If you’re unsure which elements you should be looking at when choosing font pairs, consider contrasting the following:

• Size
• Weight
• Color
• Spacing
• Style

But, how do you know if your font pairs are too similar?

Fonts that are too similar in style, weight, and size, will lose their roles in the text because the viewer won’t be able to differentiate between them easily. And the overall effect isn’t pleasing to the eye.

9. Avoid Pairing Fonts That Are Too Different

Fonts don’t need to be from the same city, but they do need to be from the same general design planet. While contrast is certainly important (see, well, every tip), too much difference can lead to confused messaging. Like Bebop Games, for example, is throwing off confusing vibes (it looks like a logo for a kids daycare center at a casino, but hey, that’s just me). 

So, how do you know which font pairs have the right amount of contrast and which are so different from one another that they’re incompatible?

The easiest way to tell is with your naked eye, but if you like to live by concrete rules, your best bet is to choose typefaces that have a mix of elements in common and elements that contrast. 

A great rule of thumb is to check the proportions and x-height (the height of the “x” character in each font). If the x-height is similar but the fonts still look different, it may be a good design choice.

Alternatively, you could pick 2 fonts that both have thin lettering, but differ in terms of their sizing, or choose fonts with distinct weights but similar styles.

10. Three is Key

Limiting a logo to 3 fonts is a general rule that many designers live by because any more than that would lead to a design that’s imbalanced and messy.  

And, while some would argue that rules are meant to be broken, we advise you don’t with this one. If your heart is really telling you to use a 4th font, before you do, try tweaking the existing fonts by making them bold, italicized, or underlined. 

Take the time to think about the fonts you’re going to use together and ask yourself why each font you’ve chosen benefits the overall design of the logo. If you can’t convince yourself, you certainly won’t convince your audience!

11. Make Sure They’re Legible

Fonts are meant to enhance a design. They make your logo look visually pleasing and ideally send some sort of message that encourages your audience to form an emotional connection.

With that being said, if your audience can’t make out your text, they’re not going to spend a lot of time struggling to understand it. That’s why it’s so important you make sure your font is legible on a mobile screen and in print. This is especially important for anyone who decides to draw their own logo. 

What is The 5 Font Rule?

No matter how seasoned you are as a designer, it never hurts to brush up on the fundamentals of typography. Make an effort to study certain facts, such as the history behind a certain font or the composition of a typeface, as these details can enhance the meaning of your design. Knowing that you are a true expert in your field makes a great impression, especially on prospective clients.

Additionally, it is your duty as a designer to be well-versed in typography. It’s also simpler for you to breach the rules if you know them! Before you can completely develop and broaden your skill set, as with any trade or skill, you must get familiar with certain norms and regulations.

1. Learn the basics.

The first step to more effective typography is to study the nitty-gritty of the art. If you’re new to its principles, you may think typography is just a straightforward practice. The truth is, it’s pretty complex because it’s a combination of art and science. The composition of a typeface consists of a specific vocabulary, accurate measurements, and central specifications that should always be identified and taken into consideration.

Like with different design forms, you can pull off breaking a rule only if you know it by heart. And it’s only acceptable if you carry it out on purpose to create something of significance. To get a better grip on the basics of typography, spend time studying and learning the art.

2. Take note of font communication.

Typeface selection is hardly a random process. Merely searching through your font catalog to choose a font you personally like rarely creates an efficient end result. This is because there’s a psychology linked to certain typefaces. When designing, you need to make sure your type is connecting to your audience. This is more than just making certain that your copy is impeccably written. It’s also about ensuring that the font you use fits your market. You wouldn’t use elaborate and rainbow-colored fonts for a law firm brochure, right? That would be better suited for a birthday invitation.

3. Understand kerning.

A sloppy kerning job is one of the cardinal sins in the design world. Needless to say, it’s a pivotal skill you must nail down as soon as possible. Kerning is the act of fine-tuning the space between characters to produce a streamlined, unified pairing. It doesn’t sound too important, but an excellent kerning job makes a world of difference.

Its main goal is to ensure that the space between each character is aesthetically even to create well-arranged text. Also, programs like Adobe Illustrator can only do so much to automatically fix your kerning blunders. These errors are often subtle, especially with long sentences or paragraphs. But for headlines or logos, a bad kerning job can instantly ruin the whole design.

4. Limit your fonts.

One of the common slipups designers – especially newbies – do is using too many fonts and styles. If you need more than one, make sure to limit your fonts to just two to three typefaces. Use one font and size for the body, another for the header, and another for the subhead. Don’t hesitate to choose fonts from different typeface families, as long as there is cohesiveness in the pairing. Working with two very similar fonts can translate as a mistake on your part. Some would think you’re not careful enough and accidentally used the wrong font.

5. Practice correct alignment.

Alignment is an imperative concept in typography. Many non-designers tend to choose between Center Aligned and Justified, which makes paragraphs quite hard to read. If you’ve used MS Word, you’re already familiar with the four key alignment options: Left Aligned, Center Aligned, Right Aligned, and Justified. Left alignment, aka Flushed Left, is the most common position used in practically everything because it’s easy on the eyes.

Using the right alignment, aka Flushed Right, to get text nicely arranged on one side only works if it the alignment is used properly. Justification is usually a nightmare for designers. With both Left Aligned and Right Aligned, watch out for ragged lines. These lines are also quite obvious when Center Aligned is used incorrectly. When you see loads of “bumps” in your text, try adjusting the length of the lines.