Can A Typeface Influence People?

Think the choice of typeface is just about looks? Think again. The styles in which we type may play a larger role in how we perceive their messages than you might think. And while Times New Roman may be good enough for your everyday word documents, your product labels deserve something more.

Words written in the Baskerville typeface were the most likely to influence readers.

Obviously, the typeface used on a product label has to be clear and readable, or consumers won’t know what it says. Text size, line spacing and color contrast can make a big difference, especially to readers who are older or who struggle with small print. But when it comes to actually influencing consumers, there is some evidence that typeface style makes a difference.

For instance, in 2013 filmmaker Errol Morris worked with the New York Times to conduct a typeface experiment. According to an article in FastCo.Design, he asked 45,000 readers to take a test, ostensibly to determine whether they were optimists or pessimists.

What it was actually meant to show, however, was whether the typeface that certain statements were written in could affect whether readers would agree with them. As it happened, words written in the Baskerville typeface were most likely to influence readers as they took the test. 

Researchers still have many questions about which specific typefaces are the most influential. There is plenty of room for businesses to experiment. But regardless of which typeface you choose, you’ll want a quality label printer.

Durafast offers a number of different printing solutions to help you develop the labels you need for your branding efforts. Contact us today for more information!