When you set up a business front, you know that there are many issues to tackle. You need a property. You have to take care of utilities, business insurance, licensing, and so many other details. They all matter. Lapsing on anything can have shocking, unexpected consequences.
In this dash to account for everything, you’ve probably even considered signage. If you’re going to have a business location, it should be marked with an outdoor sign (or signs).
It’s good that you’re already thinking about this, but how deep have you gone? Have you picked out the font yet?
This can include, believe it or not, which font you choose. So what are the best fonts for outdoor signs?
For some of you, that question made you stop still. Even your signs carry countless decisions. Font may seem inconsequential, but that’s far from the case.
We’re trying to help you see how important it is to have a little expert help with different aspects of your business. When it comes to signs, you’ll get all the help you need from Legacy Signs of Texas.
Now, on to the fonts.
Here are our top picks for the very best fonts for outdoor signs:
- Helvetica: Simple and readable.
- Garamond: Aesthetically stylish.
- Futura: An option that stands out from the crowd.
- Bodoni: A high-contrast option with an elegant aesthetic.
- Trajan: Popular for movie posters, and great for large signage.
Helvetica: One of the Top Tier Fonts for Outdoor Signs
Helvetica is pretty much the standard for legibility. It’s a simple font that is extremely easy to read.
It scales into large sizes very well, so you don’t get weird morphing of the characters when an outdoor sign is huge. You can spot Helvetica letters from a distance, and conveying information is easy.
Helvetica should be the font on every outdoor sign, right? Well, that’s the downside to using Helvetica.
It is an effective font, and because of that, it’s everywhere. The one reason not to use this font is that your sign will look like every other sign.
If legibility is your goal, it’s the best. If you’re trying to stand out from a crowd, you’ll want to consider other fonts on this list.
Garamond: Classic Yet Stylish
Garamond is a full-bodied text. The regular shapes are easy to read, and Garamond has a bit of style to it. You’ve probably seen some clothing or specialty stores use this for their signage. It’s not an average font, and you can see how it creates visual separation.
Garamond’s weakness is scale. As the letters get larger, it can be harder to distinguish some of the lowercase vowels.
That’s why Garamond is usually chosen for smaller letters and texts on an outdoor sign. The details are in Garamond while the store name is in another font.
Futura: The Future is Now
Futura is all about geometry and symmetry. The fat strokes make the letters bold and help them stand out very easily. This makes Futura ideal for the largest print on a sign. Few fonts are going to be easier to see and read at scale.
Even though it has readability, Futura stands out well from Helvetica and other ultra-standard fonts. You get an interesting aesthetic for your signage without sacrificing function. That’s the strength and value of Futura.
Bodoni: Eye-Catching Contrast
Bodoni is a font that heavily contrasts thick and thin strokes. You can see how this contrast makes the letters distinguishable while introducing regularity to the width of letters and spacing between them. Bodoni creates something of an elegant or stylish look, and you’ll see it on signs for higher-end clothing stores and similar upscale shopping.
The thing to keep in mind with Bodoni is that it takes up more horizontal space for what would otherwise be considered the same size of type. If you compare the subheadings, the Bodoni type looks smaller even while being wide on the screen. If your sign doesn’t have enough horizontal space, Bodoni will look small and cramped.
Trajan: A Top Choice for Large Signs
Trajan is super bold and extremely popular with movie posters. In fact, the font probably looks familiar, and that’s because you have seen it used in plenty of places. It’s commonly used for religious and legal writing, including things like church signs. Trajan is known for looking great in all caps, and that makes it a strong candidate for large outdoor presentations.
Officially, Trajan is trademarked by Adobe, which can make it less accessible in some instances. You can opt for a similar font, like Cinzel, or you can potentially pay a premium for using Adobe’s special font.
Finding the Perfect Font for Any Outdoor Sign
There’s a font for every occasion. Many businesses don’t spend much time thinking about the font on their outdoor signs, but as these examples show, minute details matter.
Picking the right font for an outdoor sign helps ensure that it’s legible, effective, and memorable. That last category is often the trickiest, and browsing some fonts or working with an experienced pro can help.
That’s one of many reasons that working with Legacy Signs of Texas is so great. We’ve been designing and fabricating signs for many years. In that time, we’ve worked with just about every font in the business.
We can shed a little light on what fonts can do for you, and we can take you through many other design intricacies while we’re at it.
Contact us today if you’re looking for a sign that stands out and gets attention. We’ll discuss your signage needs and help you come up with the best outdoor signs for your business.