The selection and arrangement of typefaces, sizes, spacing, hierarchy, and text styles in visual communication.
A core part of brand identity that shapes readability, tone, and visual character.
Short and sweet:
The selection and arrangement of typefaces, sizes, spacing, hierarchy, and text styles in visual communication.
A core part of brand identity that shapes readability, tone, and visual character.
See also: X-Height, Visual Identity, Brand Guidelines
Typography covers every decision about how text looks and behaves on a page, including typeface choice, size, spacing, and the hierarchy between headlines and body copy. Beyond aesthetics, it directly affects readability and how quickly someone can scan a page to find what they need, which in turn shapes bounce rate and time on page. Brands also use consistent typography as a recognition cue, the same way they rely on color or logo, so a heading style can signal identity before a single word is read.
Coca-Cola’s typography is instantly recognizable, since that flowing Spencerian script on every can and billboard has stayed largely unchanged for more than a century and now functions as a logo in its own right.
The New York Times relies on distinctive serif headlines to signal authority and tradition, a choice that separates it visually from more casual, sans-serif-heavy news sites.
Apple’s marketing materials lean on the clean, minimal lines of San Francisco, a typeface built specifically to keep product pages feeling modern and uncluttered across every screen size.
