This is exactly where this article comes in.
Sure, licensed fonts cost money and free alternatives are everywhere. But when it comes to brand identity, fonts are an important building block. They determine whether campaigns are noticed or fade into obscurity.
But don’t worry: after reading this article, you’ll be able to answer killer questions convincingly and refute critical arguments.
“Let’s go with Roboto for now” sounds harmless. In reality, it’s a declaration of creative bankruptcy because you’re reducing your brand to the lowest common denominator and you’re becoming invisible.
In the digital space in particular, fonts are a distinguishing feature. When everyone uses the same fonts, brands become invisible. We saw this happen in the 2000s with Arial, Verdana and Georgia. Today, their counterparts are Roboto, Open Sans and Montserrat. The result? Interchangeability. No branding. No individuality. And for no good reason, because unlike back then, when webfonts were limited to a few system fonts, today we enjoy infinite typographic freedom.
Open-source fonts, most notably those from Google, are undoubtedly practical. But for the US corporation, the fonts it provides are merely the lubricant for its global advertising machine. They are not developed out of a love of typography, but as the foundation for the company’s own business model.
There is no question that many fonts are of high quality (design and technology-wise) and are wonderfully suited for private use. They can also be a good cost-benefit compromise for some Asian language extensions. But when a handful of fonts are used millions of times by companies, the result is not identity, but monoculture. Anyone working with Open Sans or Roboto in a professional context today is signaling: We’ve made it easy for ourselves.
There are also risks involved:
They can also do things that free fonts rarely offer in such depth:
In short: a license agreement is like a tailor-made suit. It’s not fast fashion but a reliable tool that fits, works and makes your brand stand out.
Fonts are everywhere: on websites, in social media, in presentations, in mailings, on packaging, in apps, on advertisements. Every day, your brand communicates through text and across all analog and digital touchpoints.
A license for this often costs less than a subscription to many common business tools. Yet the difference is fonts shape the face of your brand for years and leave a lasting impression.
So the real question is not, “How much does it cost to license fonts?”, but rather, “What does it cost not to?”
Answer: Invisibility, risk of confusion, lack of identity, legal uncertainty, complex repairs and with that comes real economic disadvantages and consequences.
Brand impact is not a bonus, it is an economic foundation and neccessity.
Do you need to convince the project management, management or your clients?
These seven points will help you:
Print out this list. Take it with you to the next conversation.
Think about this image: Type is the first impression of a brand—often before anyone even reads the text.
If you want your own voice, you shouldn’t speak with a borrowed tongue. And if you want a distinctive brand, you should start with the font.
If you need support convincing your team or advice on choosing the right font for your brand: talk to us. For us, fonts are not a byproduct but rather the beating heart of our work.
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Typefaces used in the images:
Supermarker, Nikolai, McQueen, Change, Neue DIN, Nice