Typography selection is one of the most influential aspects of a brand identity. It needs to balance, enhance, and connect seamlessly to every other element of a brand. A typeface can’t just look good—it needs to be intentionally chosen, aligning with and reinforcing every other brand decision. When those choices do not connect, things can quickly lose meaning and affect how the brand is interpreted by audiences.

We say type represents 90% of your brand. It needs to instantly convey a feeling and vibe. Excitement and adventure. Strength and persistence. Innovation and forward-thinking. We think it’s wild that specific type in combination with various fonts, sizes, and weights can evoke something in people so specific and powerful.

But finding consensus on the perfect typeface combination can be a challenge. We recently encountered this with a client—the type selections we were making just weren’t hitting for them. We went through round after round of iterations, swapping fonts purely based on client direction. The process became entirely subjective. Did it still look nice? Sure. But what once felt cohesive, deliberate, and powerful now felt surface-level.

We felt beaten down, but we were wrong to not challenge. We had to take a step back and hit pause—and remind everyone, even ourselves, that these decisions need to be strategic and intentional.

We’re still working through this in real time with the client, but we’ve reinforced that typography, like every design choice, carries weight. You can’t hold your user’s hand when they engage with your brand and say “This is how we want you to think about us.” You can tell them your story over time, but the immediate reactions and impressions come from the creative vision you put in front of them—the vision based on discussions we have with you on how your brand needs to be interpreted.

It’s tough to explain the value of design and communicate how the balance and combination of typography directly impact how a brand is perceived. It can sometimes feel obvious to us on the creative side—because it is inherent to our work. But if we aren’t strategic in our composition, so much of a brand’s identity can slip away. That’s why we must push and advocate for meaningful decisions.