What Are the Best Fonts for Labels? Leave a comment

When you’re designing labels for your products, readability is highly important. As a result, it’s important to choose a font carefully. But, what are the best fonts for labels? To begin, you’ll want to choose between a serif or sans font. Serif fonts like “Times New Roman” have “feet” which are perpendicular lines that cap off the letter. These types of fonts are easier to read because they create a line that draws the eye. Sans serif fonts like “Calibri” don’t have any feet, giving the font a simplified and modern appearance.

Now that you know the difference between serif and sans serif fonts, let’s discuss the best fonts for labels. If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call.

Why Font Choice Matters

A design step that’s often overlooked, choosing the right Typography is key for generating interest in your product & conveying the central message of your brand.  Typography may seem trivial but it plays a critical role in our everyday lives, we get information about the world we live in from TV Screens, Cellphones, Newspapers, Billboards, the list goes on.

The thread tying these all together is that these sources carefully plan which fonts they use and how they play into our psychology.  A commercial may use a bold & colorful font to catch your attention, while your local news station may use an easily legible font for their news crawl to ensure that the stories they are covering are easy to read.

Fonts also play a large role in the success & appearance of a brand.  For example, Luxury Brands tend to prefer a serif style typeface to convey a simplistic elegance.  Where more contemporary companies like Target or Hulu use a blocky & soft edged sans serif font to give themselves a more approachable feel.

Best Fonts for Printing Labels

Here are some of the most popular fonts for labels:

• Georgia: This is a frequently used font that’s fit the brand of a multitude of businesses. As a serif font, it’s sophisticated and clean, but it can also work if your organization has a lively image.
• Helvetica: Helvetica is a classic font like Georgia, but it’s san-serif, and it isn’t as bold. It’s one of the more legible fonts for products, so it’s a great option if your label has a lot of text on it.
• Rooney: Rooney is the best font for printing labels for businesses that have cheery brands. Its bubbly, rounded design is engaging and fun to look at, while still being easily readable.
• Garamond: Garamond is highly similar to other serif fonts like Times New Roman and Georgia. It’s clean, classic, and can fit a variety of business personalities.
• Open Sans: Open Sans is a sans-serif font that is particularly unique for its “kerning,” or space in between each letter. Its design makes it the ideal font for consumers because of its easy legibility, even when used in a small size.

Worst Fonts for Labels

The following font types are used too often and will have difficulty standing out among more unique fonts:

• Brush Script
• Arial
• Times New Roman
• Calibri
• Comic Sans
• Copperplate Gothic
• Papyrus
• Trajan Pro
• Courier
• Lucida Calligraphy
• Verdana

Learn More About the Best Fonts for Labels at Chicago Color Label

After reading about the best fonts for product labels, find the right printer for your business, and reach out to our team at Chicago Color Label. You can find everything from sustainable label makers to commercial label printers with a range of inks to meet your needs. Be sure to request a free sample of colors to see which you like best and be sure to check out our growing blog for all your needs!