Fonts & Feelings | How To Convey The Right Message On Your Website

Original Source: canva.com

Subconsciously, fonts impact thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. There is even a subfield of psychology known as font psychology.

Think about it this way. You have very different (and, oftentimes, very specific) thoughts, feelings, and associations with different font types. For example, when you use Comic Sans in a design, it’s going to create a very different emotional response for your audience than if you were to use Arial, Roboto, or Montserrat. Or when you feature Times New Roman as your primary font, people are going to associate it with completely different thoughts, feelings, and ideas than they would if you chose Yellowtail or Baloo. Understanding those different associations and emotional responses—and how to use them to your advantage? That’s font psychology.

One of the most powerful reasons you should use font psychology to drive your design decisions. It allows you to choose the right fonts for your designs—and gives you a ton of control over how your design is perceived and received by your audience.

For example, let’s say you’re designing a poster to promote your new children’s clothing line—and you want your audience to feel happy and cheerful when they look at it. Choosing a more whimsical script or graphic font is going to create the emotional response you’re looking for—while a more traditional serif is likely to fall flat.

For quick reference, here's a look at font types and the feelings they portray.