5 Typefaces You Should Never Use on Signs

Having signs outside and inside your business is one of the best ways to grab prospective consumers' attention and increase your sales. In order to grab customers' attention, you need to employ creative, fun and eye-catching visuals that are both easy to read and deliver a message clearly and efficiently. Part of this design process is picking the right typeface. There are an unlimited number of typefaces out there; most of which are available for free. But that doesn't mean you have a free reign over which font you get to use. Each typeface has a message, an emotion, that its appearance projects. There are several typefaces that should never be used, though.

If your signs feature any of these typefaces, it's time to put them in a Calgary self storage unit, and get some new signs. Your business will thank you.

1. Papyrus
Papyrus is the typeface where the edges look a little frayed or worn, and unfortunately can be found pretty much anywhere you look. This typeface is used a lot in retail, particularly in gift shops, as well as in menus. Its overuse is reason enough to not use it.
Yet it carries another burden. Using Papyrus on print materials and signs conveys the message that, like the typeface, your products are worn and frayed around the edges. This typeface is neither fresh nor pleasing to the eye.

2. Curlz MT
Have a fun, perky business that appeals to young girls? Chances are, you might have considered using Curlz MT as a typeface option, but stay away. While all the little swirls and extra tails on the letters give off that fun feeling, everybody with a similar businesses uses it as well. It may be fun and girly with a little Parisienne vibe, but it also carries that superficial lack of personality that often doesn't appeal to anybody.

3. Arial and Times New Roman
Remember all those years you spent in school, writing research paper after research paper? So do your customers. There's a high probability that, if your customers have used a computer, they are familiar with these typefaces, and are less inclined to read the signs. While these two are appropriate as accent or secondary typefaces, they should never be featured. That is, unless your business promotes a bland, run of the mill shopping experience. These two are a no-no, but there is one golden rule that you must never forget:

4. Comic Sans MS
Ask any graphic designer what typeface they despise most, and the majority of the time you'll hear them mention Comic Sans MS. Unless you're making signs for a group of kindergartners, using this typeface on any signage is nothing short of insulting to the readers. Its elementary appearance is an insult to viewers' intelligence and makes them take the sign they're reading less seriously. So be sure to remember this:

5. Bradley Hand (or any other "hand" fonts)
There's nothing wrong with wanting your sign to look a little more personalized. A handwritten sign looks more personal and intimate, and provides a little more intrinsic value for those who see it. The problem, once again, is that everybody uses it. This font has made a name for itself in the creation of invitations because it looks hand written. Honestly, you're much better off just writing the text on the sign yourself. That way it will actually be more personalized rather than just look like an attempt to be personalized.

Remember that you want your signs to stand out and say something to your consumers through its appearance and text. There are a variety of websites for you to download free fonts and sign symbols created by users for the public to use, and chances are a lot less people will be using the ones you find. Designing a sign should be a fun and creative process, but should also be performed with a goal and purpose, and there are many more typefaces that can get the job done better than the ones already on your computer.