According to Packaging & Consumer Buying Behavior, 72% of customers say packaging design influences their purchase decision. And when it comes to packaging artwork and design, fonts are a big part of it.

Fonts have an emotional impact on people. The type of fonts used, the shape, visually communicates the tone of the brand. The size of the fonts is important too. Not only does it have to be legible, but it also has to comply with regulatory guidelines.

That’s why brands emphasize on selecting the best fonts and carefully choosing their placement on the packaging artwork. For example, Kellogg’s has evolved its logo over the years ever so slightly, maintaining its unique font appearance.

But how do you verify the use of the right font and size during packaging design? What impact do fonts have on the purchase process? Let’s explore.

How do Fonts Impact Customer Purchase Decision

It’s important to understand that the use of the word “font” generally refers to two things- the typeface and its attributes. The typeface is the overall design of the characters. Whereas, attributes could be bold, italics and so on.

Keeping track of fonts used in packaging is important to maintain design consistency. Hence, brands come up with guidelines to use the right font to indicate authenticity.

Fonts are important because, they:

1. Impact Customer Psychology

Almost all fonts fall in serif, non-serif, and decorative categories. The shape of the letter connects with the reader at an emotional level.

For example, serif fonts have “feet” (serifs) at the end of every character. Such fonts are associated with tradition, elegance, and formality. Brands use serif fonts to target a ‘mature’ persona. For example, Rolex.

Non-serif (sans-serif) fonts don’t have feet and communicate with consumers more casually. Contemporary, minimal, and digital designs generally use non-serif fonts. The font used by Jockey is a classic example.

Decorative fonts are pretty unique. They are neither serif nor non-serif. Such fonts aim at making the packaging stand out and make the brand appear creative. For example, the font used by Walt Disney.

Most of the times brands do not change a font they use. However, they can make minor adjustments to stay updated with consumer preferences. For example, people’s favorite beverage- Pepsi has evolved its logo font to make it more modern with every generation.

2. Display Information Hierarchy

The varying size of packaging fonts is used to display information in a hierarchical pattern.

For instance, the front of the packaging showcases the product name and brand name using a distinct font. The information on the back has product and manufacturer details, pricing, certificates, and more, displayed in a different font style according to industry standards.

3. Conform to Regulatory Guidelines

Product packaging, irrespective of industry, must convey certain information in legible fonts. It’s a mandate by regulatory authorities.

For example, FSSAI’s Alcoholic Beverages Standards Regulations 2018 states- the warning “Consumption of alcohol is injurious to health. Be safe -Don’t drink and drive” should be printed on the labels of alcoholic beverages with the font size of not less than 3mm.

Non-compliance with these standards might lead to the withdrawal of the product from the market or hefty penalties.

To ensure the use of the right font and to adhere to industry rules, it’s important to proof the font in the artwork. And here’s where an Artwork Font Finder tool by Artwork Flow can help.

How Does a Font Finder Tool Benefit the Artwork Design Process?

Determining the correct fonts is a crucial part of the artwork approval process. An artwork Font Finder is a free online tool to ensure the right font style and size are used in your packaging design.

Such a tool helps:

1. Identify Fonts

In order to maintain uniformity in design, brands prefer using the same font. Whether it’s to design new artwork or reinvent the packaging for a new product.

And in case you don’t have the font information saved or have difficulty locating the exact file in your archives, you can always turn to an online font finder tool to help you out.

Such a tool can verify any design element without the original file. You can simply upload a PDF of your packaging design and extract the font information like size and style.

An Artwork Font Finder lists all the different fonts present in any artwork PDF file in seconds.

2. Verify Fonts

To the naked eye, artwork adaptations might look pretty similar. Yet, they may differ upon close observation.

For example, Open Sans has light, normal, semi-bold, bold, and extra bold variants. The exact font used can only be verified on inspection by a tool.

An Artwork Font Finder enables clear detection of font-characteristics when a PDF of the packaging design is uploaded. Upon knowing the fonts used, brand managers can verify the same as per the brand’s standards.

3. Validate Fonts

Your design team might be working on multiple projects simultaneously. Consequently, a thorough check on fonts can be missed.

Font validation helps you answer questions such as –

• Is the font readable?
• Does it match the target persona (culture, age, and location)?
• Is it compliant with the brand’s identity?
• Does it obey all regulatory guidelines?
• Is the font scalable for printing and reproduction?

Comparing design files and checking the fonts manually can be tiresome. But, with the help of a tool, you can quickly get to know the font name and its family, hence, simplifying the validation process.

Final Thoughts

Typefaces and fonts impact how people perceive the content and your brand.

That’s why it’s essential to identify, verify, and validate fonts before proceeding with packaging artwork design and sending it off for printing. Having the right fonts can ultimately help establish and extend the brand’s visual identity, save rework, and a lot of money for your company.

Which tools do you use to check fonts used for artwork? Are there any processes you follow? Do you think a font finder tool could help you? Tell us in the comments below!