Does Tyopgraphy Matter?

**Collaborative post**

The written word is a funny thing and can sometimes be interpreted by others in different ways.

For instance, say you wrote something you thought was witty and amusing – when read by others, your intended tone may be misinterpreted so what may be witty to you may not be to others.

It’s the same when it comes to choosing the fonts we use for our writing. A recent survey conducted by promotional products retailer 4imprint found that three-quarters of workers (70 per cent) insist that HOW we write is as revealing as WHAT we write.

I bet you hadn’t ever thought about the impression the font used in your emails gives another person, had you? I admit, I certainly hadn’t. I just use the preset fonts for Gmail and hadn’t thought of changing them, but many people do change these fonts to suit their personalities and perhaps that’s not the best thing to do. It can make reading them harder if you’ve got a swirly style font and could lead to giving an unprofessional first impression. Three in ten (31 per cent) of those polled said they make a first impression of someone based on their email font BEFORE they’ve even met them in person.

So, what can fonts say about a person according to the data from this survey?

Arial – most likely to be serious and professional
Times New Roman – Traditional
Gothic – Academic and bookish
Pacifico – Adventurous and extroverted
Rockwell – Ambitious

Typeface is just as important or perhaps even more so when it comes to Business logos and marketing as a whopping 48 per cent said they wouldn’t buy a product or service from an organisation that used italics in its marketing or logos.

Just a few things to add into the equation when you are next writing – as if getting the words out, spelt correctly etc. wasn’t enough.

Is this something you had ever considered before?