Graphic Design 101: Decorative Fonts: Cute, But Deadly

 

You've probably seen them if you have browsed the many fonts available in Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, and even in Microsoft Word or Google Docs: decorative fonts. The swirl-y, cute, patterned, intricate, or edgy fonts that are almost too fun to resist.

But looks can be deceiving, and these adorable and fun fonts are actually quite deadly - to the quality of your design and the success of it that is.

Here is just a small selection of these cute and fun fonts that I'm talking about:

Now, some of you may not understand why these fonts are "deadly" and detrimental to your designs. But there are several problems with them:

They're Distracting

Many of these fonts have interesting shapes, lines, swirls, and other details that can catch the attention of the reader so that instead of taking in the message written in the font, they end up spending far more time looking at the details in the typeface itself. As a result, they may only remember how peculiar the typeface was and not what it actually said.

They Often Hard To Read

Fonts that have extreme thick and thin strokes or elaborate swirls and other line marks such as those in script/cursive fonts can make it hard for viewers who may have poor vision to understand what letters they are looking at.

Weird and unusual shapes that can be used to create letters can make it confusing to understand which letter is which in some instances, which is not good for those that struggle to read due to poor vision.

Not everyone can read cursive since many letters look very different in their cursive form from their print form. While it is relatively rare for someone to not be able to read cursive at all, it certainly happens and occurs the most in young children or those who just have seldom been exposed to that style of handwriting in the first place. Regardless, the more simple the letters are in their form on the page, the easier they are to understand.

They Can Feel Gendered

Strictly, fonts don't have a gender. They're just styles of writing and typography. However, swirly, curly, and cursive fonts can feel "feminine" to many people and can make an entire piece feel as though it is aimed specifically at the attention of women and girls when it is in fact meant for everyone. This results in men and boys not wanting to even look at a design or feel disinterested in it because they feel as though it's not for them.

This is extremely important to remember when making any designs such as websites, posters, informational documents, etc. that are expected to be shared with boys, girls, men, women, and anyone in between. If you're looking to get everyone's attention, use a font that is inclusive, even plain so that it doesn't accidentally feel like it's geared at a specific audience when it's not.

Now you might be thinking "Well if I can't use those cute and fun fonts, what is left to use? I don't want to use boring fonts like Times New Roman, Arial, or other standard scripts."

It can be challenging at times to select a font that feels fun but that is still highly legible and feels inclusive. The best ways to find these fonts are to type out your titles, bodies of text, and any other pieces of text and explore font options that are extremely easy to read but maybe have small details that make them feel more fun, cheerful, and unique than more standard fonts. You can also use handwritten-looking fonts that have some curls and swirls as long as they are not very intense.

Here are some fonts that are cute but NOT deadly:

These fonts may be less exciting than those I showed in the examples of cute but deadly fonts, but they are significantly easier to read and feel more inclusive to all audiences. The key is in the subtle angles, shapes, and curves throughout the font that give it a different, distinct feel without being overly intense, distracting, or compromising its legibility.