With endless choices of various fonts, it can be hard to know which ones you should use. Every design is different, and depending on what you are trying to convey, so will the fonts. While design is pretty much a rule-free thing, there are some fundamental guidelines that you should always obey. If you want your designs to look better and attract more eyes, follow these commandments and you'll notice a major difference.
1) Thou shalt never use Comic Sans.
Unless you are an elementary school teacher, this font is off limits. Not only does it look extremely unprofessional, but it’s the definition of tacky fonts. Some other fonts you should never use are: Curlz, Kirsten, Joker, and Papyrus.
2) Thou shalt create contrast.
A bold, eye catching design utilizes contrast, especially with fonts. Mix and match bold and chunky fonts with skinny fonts, or a curly calligraphy font with something more formal, like a serif font.
3) Thou shalt only use one to two fonts.
In some cases, three may be acceptable. But for most designs, using only two different fonts is best.
4) Thou shalt never stretch a font.
Nothing ever looks good stretched. Tip: In most programs, if you hold down the shift key, the image/text will expand without stretching.
5) Remember to use readable fonts.
Nothing is worse than a design with a font that cannot be read easily. This also applies to the text color.
6) Thou shalt never combine two similar fonts.
This will create conflict, which is a big no-no in design. Viewers won't know where to look--nothing is jumping out at them because everything looks the same.
7) Thou shalt not mix "moods"
All fonts have a specific mood that they convey to a viewer/reader. Mixing a “formal” font with a “party” font will not have a good end result. Also, use a font that matches what you want to convey about your design. If you’re creating a flyer for a black tie dinner, you should stay away from cartoon or handwritten fonts.
8) Thou shalt download better fonts.
Expand your horizons! It gets boring seeing the pre-installed fonts all the time. There are plenty of sites where it’s easy and safe to download free fonts. One of my favorites is dafont.com. Just make sure to obey the copyright requirements of the fonts--each of them have varying rules.
9) Remember to establish visual hierarchy.
A stronger, more visually appealing font should be used as the title font, whereas a basic font should be used as the body font. Titles should always be larger than the body.
10) Thou shalt trust thine gut.
Most importantly of all, trust your feeling about the design! If you think it looks good, then chances are others will too.
