The Right Typeface: A Writer’s Secret Weapon

The choice of a typeface is more than utilitarian. Yes, it must be easy to read. But it also must convey the precise mood that you wish to convey. Compare the typefaces in these two ads:

It’s the job of the professional communicator to compel you to read his or her work. Your words, and their presentation in font, must lure, entice, perhaps even beg.

As Matthew Butterick says on his very insightful web site on typography for lawyers, “… typography matters because it helps conserve the most valuable resource you have as a writer—reader attention.” Most people have more reasons to leave your writing unread than they do to read it, so dress it up. Find the font that tells the story you want to tell.