Ever wondered why brands like Coca-Cola invest in unique fonts?
According to Brittney Murphy Design owner and brand identity expert Brittney, this strategy is not just about aesthetics — it's a powerful tool for brand recognition.
In this interview with agency directory DesignRush, Brittney discusses:
- Why developing a custom font can be a game-changer for brand growth
- How brands can effectively align their choice of fonts with their overall identity
- How to get the right fonts
Who Is Brittney Murphy?
Brittney is a font, web, and graphic designer and the owner of Brittney Murphy Design, a boutique studio for typography and font creation. Over the past decade, Brittney has transformed her passion for fonts into a successful business, assisting companies, organizations, and individuals in turning their creative visions into artistic realities.
Brittney Murphy Design has been greatly focused on developing fonts since 2009. The company has over 40 million downloads worldwide by businesses of all sizes, including notable brands like Microsoft and Hilton.
Given this impressive track record, I was curious to hear how the company has navigated such intense competition to achieve these results.
Brittney explains that when she initially started, the industry was much more niche; she entered at the right time and as a newbie designer, it was still possible to get noticed.
However, she mentions that the landscape has significantly changed, especially after the pandemic, with many people seeking remote jobs. This shift has led to a substantial increase in the number of designers and fonts available, making it much more competitive, as she puts it.
To make her work stand out, she says she focuses on specificity. For instance, she points out that her Letters for Learners font helps kids learn to write, meeting a demand for educational tracing fonts.
Recently, she has also created graphic fonts, which, although not her favorite, have been popular for adding fun to children's materials.
It's about adapting to market demands and creating what stands out, she says.
Custom Fonts Increase Brand Recognition
Companies like Netflix, Airbnb, Apple, and Coca-Cola have created their fonts and made them a part of their visual identity.
Given this, I asked Brittney how important she thinks it is for a brand to have a unique font, and what role font design plays in building and maintaining a brand's distinct character.
“It can help a lot! It’s one thing to flash your logo everywhere, but with an exclusive font, your business can be recognized in more contexts and with more subtlety.
It can also make it easier for a brand to remain consistent across different mediums, and consistency helps create a feeling of reliability and trustworthiness,” she says.
“When it comes to recognizability, exclusive fonts are going to help the most. You’re less likely to get confused with other brands using the same ones,” she notes.
The emotional impact may be even more important, Brittney says.
As philosopher Marshall McLuhan said, "The medium is the message." Fonts add emotional context to your words, so choosing the right one is essential, she explains.
“You can use all the right words, but if they aren’t conveyed in a way that is clear to your audience, it won’t matter. Fonts are a great tool in this regard because they can add emotional context to your message, but you have to make sure it’s the right one.
If you’re unsure about what fonts will suit you best, make several different sample graphics using different fonts and run them by people who fit the demographic you’re trying to reach. (I’ve found that it helps to ask specific questions when you’re looking for feedback. You’re more likely to get insightful feedback that way,)” she suggests.
How to Use 3D Fonts for Branding
Brittney and I discussed 3D fonts, as one of the major typography trends right now. Hence, I asked her what opportunities she sees in using 3D fonts for brand identity.
“I think 3D fonts are fun, but I don’t like to rely on them when it comes to branding. If you do want to use a 3D font, I’d recommend at least choosing a font family that comes with lots of styles.
If you don’t have a non-3D version to fall back on, then you’re going to lose a bit of consistency and recognizability when a 3D version is too busy or doesn’t work in the context of a project.
I’d say the same goes for other trendy styles. Fonts that stand out are great and you certainly want to use them, but I’ll always choose a family with more toned-down versions as well over one without just because you’ll be able to use it in a lot more places.”
Watch our video to find out what you should include in your brand book and whether typography should be a part of it:
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