Typography plays a crucial role in shaping a destination’s brand identity and enhancing website design and usability. There are distinct characteristics and use cases for different font styles that will help you align typography with your brand's identity. Here's a deep dive into the key considerations and strategies Simpleview design experts take when creating logos and selecting the perfect supporting fonts for destination marketing organizations’ (DMOs) visual identities and websites.
Destination Reflection
When creating a logo and choosing a supporting typeface during the visual identity process, we ask our clients to reflect on their brand values, destination attributes, and personality traits.
Brand values can give us insight into what is most important at the core of the organization and how to portray the destination to visitors. These also go hand-in-hand with the destination’s personality traits — how those values translate to the character authentically found within the people and attributes of the destination. Personality traits we’ve heard from our clients that gave great direction have included descriptive words such as “vibrant,” “historic,” “innovative,”“welcoming,” “adventurous,” and “off the beaten path,” to name a few.
Once we hone in on the exact perception we want visitors to have of the destination, our design team can start researching typefaces that fit. For logos, we will explore customizing existing fonts and even create wordmarks illustrated by hand.
Examining the nuances and characteristics of typefaces leads us to determine which fonts will work in communicating the desired emotion we want to evoke within the target audience. For example, rounded letterforms communicate a welcoming and safe feeling, well-suited for destinations who want to focus on their family-friendly and hospitable characteristics. Modern, sans-serif typefaces are characterized by their clean lines, minimalistic design, and often geometric shapes. This style conveys a sense of innovation, sophistication, and forward-thinking. They are suitable for DMOs that want to project a contemporary image and are commonly used in the tourism industry.
Traditional typefaces, such as serif typefaces, are known for their classic and timeless appeal. They convey a sense of reliability, trustworthiness, and heritage. These styles are ideal for DMOs that want to emphasize their destination's history, culture, and authenticity.
There are a lot of nuances and styles that sit in between and outside of typographic categories. And these are not hard-fast rules and all depend on the context in which the typeface is used, as well as the other supporting aspects of the visual identity.
Typography Applied: Visit Wayne County
During the discovery and immersion, the Simpleview design team learned that Wayne County is a slower paced destination with a large agritourism focus. However, it also had a lively downtown scene and close knit community within the county as a whole. Visit Wayne County's personality was very authentic, family friendly, creative, welcoming, and community focused. Think neighbors helping neighbors, live music downtown, amazing food, and a great relationship with their local amish population. So, how do we communicate all of that with typography?
The main concept behind this logo is the idea of “hometown pride.” Everywhere we went in Wayne County, people spoke of the great pride that they have for this county.
The main typeface here is a customized version of the script Heritager. Not only does this ensure that the logo is unique and instantly recognizable, but it also creates balance within the composition. All of the letters flow into each other and make sure there is a certain level of harmony within the logo. Additionally, this typeface evokes a sense of timelessness and nostalgic americana designs. This is supported by the secondary san-serif typeface, Epilogue.
Heritager and Epilogue work particularly well together because of their contrast. One is a script, flowing and breaking out of this shape with its curves on the top and bottom. Epilogue, on the other hand, is a san-serif that grounds it within the shape so it doesn’t feel like it’s floating. Additionally, you can see that both fonts are around the same weight. This is not necessary in all cases, but was intentional in its use here to evoke a sense of confidence.
While this logo doesn’t have a visual icon, it was inspired from eighteenth century furniture stamps. To our team, hometown pride translated to “putting your stamp” of pride on your work. In this case, it’s Wayne County— a place where everywhere you go, you can feel that sense of pride.
The logo system here also supports that same vision. I wanted to create a modular brand for Wayne County that could be broken apart to stand alone or work together as a unit.
And in this system, you can really see the typography shine.
Visit Wayne County’s typography applied:
Choosing the perfect font for your brand and website is a multifaceted process that requires an understanding of different font characteristics, practical considerations for bespoke typography, and effective integration strategies. Simpleview’s creative services team utilized these font selection secrets, and their wealth of knowledge, to enhance your brand's visual identity and create a memorable online presence.
Typography Trends Unveiled: Choosing the Perfect Font for Your Brand & Website
"The new brand has inspired the team and our stakeholders; it captures how we want to communicate with our visitors. It also helps set the expectation of what you get when you’re in Rapid City … a bold, unforgettable experience."
Brook Kaufman, President & CEO at Visit Rapid City
