Can Fonts Evoke Feelings?

Can​ ​Fonts​ ​Evoke​ ​Feelings?

By​ ​Jenna​ ​Erickson,​ ​Codal​ ​Inc

__________________________________________________________________________________________ In​ ​web​ ​design,​ ​content​ ​can​ ​be​ ​just​ ​as​ ​important​ ​as​ ​visual​ ​elements,​ ​such​ ​as infographics,​ ​images,​ ​and​ ​even​ ​the​ ​fontography.​ ​Along​ ​with​ ​these​ ​visual marketing​ ​tools​ ​like​ ​infographics,​ ​fonts​ ​also​ ​serve​ ​as​ ​a​ ​marketing​ ​tool​ ​for journalists​ ​and​ ​writers​ ​when​ ​creating​ ​their​ ​content.​ ​Ultimately,​ ​your​ ​choice​ ​of font​ ​is​ ​part​ ​of​ ​how​ ​a​ ​message​ ​is​ ​conveyed​ ​to​ ​a​ ​user.​ ​As​ ​a​ u ​ ser​ ​experience company​,​ ​this​ ​is​ ​something​ ​that​ ​cannot​ ​be​ ​overlooked.

A​ ​few​ ​years​ ​back,​ ​a​ ​study​ ​was​ ​conducted​ ​by​ ​the​ ​Software​ ​Usability​ ​Research Lab​,​ ​by​ ​Wichita​ ​State​ ​University,​ ​about​ ​how​ ​some​ ​types​ ​of​ ​fonts​ ​evoke​ ​specific emotions​ ​for​ ​the​ ​end​ ​user.​ ​Turns​ ​out,​ ​it​ ​is​ ​quite​ ​interesting!

The​ ​study​ ​had​ ​the​ ​participants​ ​organize​ ​different​ ​types​ ​of​ ​fonts​ ​into categories,​ ​such​ ​as:​ ​All​ ​Purpose,​ ​Traditional,​ ​Happy​ ​Creative,​ ​Assertive​ ​Bold,​ ​and Plain.

The​ ​well-known​ ​fonts​ ​that​ ​were​ ​organized​ ​included:​​ ​Cambria,​ ​Constantia, Corbel,​ ​Candara,​ ​Calibri,​ ​Consolas,​ ​Times​ ​New​ ​Roman,​ ​Arial,​ ​Verdana,​ ​Comic Sans,​ ​Century​ ​Gothic,​ ​Courier​ ​New,​ ​Impact,​ ​Kristen,​ ​Rockwell​ ​Extra​ ​Bold,​ ​Gigi, Georgia,​ ​Agency​ ​FB,​ ​Monotype​ ​Corsiva,​ ​and​ ​Rage​ ​Italic.

Below​ ​are​ ​some​ ​the​ ​top​ ​fonts​ ​that​ ​were​ ​associated​ ​with​ ​certain​ ​emotions: ● ● ● ● ● ●

Unstable:​ ​Gigi,​ ​Kristen,​ ​and​ ​Rage​ ​Italic Passive:​ ​Kristen,​ ​Gigi,​ ​Comic​ ​Sans Unimaginative:​ ​Courier​ ​New,​ ​Arial,​ ​Consolas Elegant:​ ​Monotype​ ​Corsita,​ ​Rage​ ​Italic,​ ​Gigi Assertive:​ ​Impact,​ ​Rockwell​ ​Bold,​ ​Georgia Formal:​​ ​TNR,​ ​Georgia,​ ​Monotype​ ​Corsiva

When​ ​designing​ ​a​ ​website,​ ​it​ ​is​ ​absolutely​ ​critical​ ​to​ ​keep​ ​the​ ​fonts​ ​in​ ​mind.​ ​If you​ ​are​ ​a​ ​creative​ ​company​ ​offering​ U ​ I​ ​design​ ​services​,​ ​you​ ​probably​ ​would want​ ​to​ ​steer​ ​away​ ​from​ ​the​ ​font’s​ ​that​ ​are​ ​considered​ ​“unimaginative,” considering​ ​you​ ​are​ ​trying​ ​to​ ​portray​ ​the​ ​company​ ​as​ ​being​ ​creative.​ ​ ​The same​ ​goes​ ​for​ ​the​ ​opposite,​ ​if​ ​a​ ​UX​ ​design​ ​company​​ ​is​ ​designing​ ​a​ ​website​ ​that is​ ​targeted​ ​for​ ​a​ ​bride-to-be,​ ​you​ ​would​ ​want​ ​to​ ​stay​ ​away​ ​from​ ​the​ ​fonts​ ​in the​ ​“unstable”​ ​category,​ ​and​ ​choose​ ​something​ ​more​ ​formal​ ​and​ ​elegant.

If​ ​a​ ​doctor's​ ​website​ ​is​ ​using​ ​the​ ​“Gigi”​ ​font,​ ​I​ ​don’t​ ​think​ ​that​ ​visitors​ ​will consider​ ​the​ ​website,​ ​or​ ​the​ ​doctor​ ​as​ ​a​ ​trustable​ ​source.​ ​Most​ ​companies​ ​that conduct​ ​UX​ ​UI​ ​research​​ ​should​ ​be​ ​well-aware​ ​of​ ​what​ ​types​ ​of​ ​fonts​ ​are considered​ ​to​ ​be​ ​trustable,​ ​and​ ​which​ ​are​ ​not.

Why​ ​care​ ​about​ ​emotions​ ​when​ ​designing?

Every​ ​day,​ ​we​ ​make​ ​decisions​ ​around​ ​how​ ​we​ ​feel.​ ​Triggering​ ​emotions​ ​will increase​ ​motivation,​ ​and​ ​affect​ ​a​ ​user's​ ​memories.​ ​Eventually​ ​(and​ ​ideally)​ ​the users​ ​emotions​ ​will​ ​become​ ​actionable​ ​and​ ​they​ ​will​ ​perform​ ​the​ ​actions​ ​or tasks​ ​that​ ​you​ ​want​ ​to.

Choose​ ​your​ ​fonts​ ​wisely,​ ​as​ ​they​ ​have​ ​a​ ​huge​ ​impact​ ​on​ ​your​ ​customer's experience​ ​while​ ​they​ ​are​ ​using​ ​a​ ​website.​ ​Most​ ​web​ ​development​ ​agencies will​ ​take​ ​this​ ​into​ ​consideration​ ​during​ ​the​ u ​ ser​ ​experience​ ​and​ ​interface design​​ ​stage.