Typography is often the difference between a design that looks professional and one that does not. Most beginners underestimate its importance — choosing fonts randomly and spacing text by eye. Here are the fundamentals.
Typeface Categories
- Serif: Small strokes at the ends of letters (Times New Roman, Playfair Display). Traditional, trustworthy, elegant. Used for wedding brands and editorial.
- Sans-serif: Clean, no strokes (Montserrat, Helvetica, Inter). Modern, clean, versatile. Used for tech, corporate, social media.
- Script/Cursive: Mimics handwriting (Great Vibes, Pacifico). Romantic, personal. Used for wedding invitations and luxury brands — sparingly.
Font Pairing Rules
Pair one serif with one sans-serif for contrast and readability. Use script fonts only for headlines, never for body text. Avoid using more than two typefaces in one design — more than two creates chaos, not character.
Spacing Matters as Much as the Font
Line height (leading): Set body text line height to 1.4–1.6× font size for readability. Letter spacing (tracking): Add tracking to ALL-CAPS text — it breathes. Tighten tracking slightly for large headings. Margin/padding: Never let text touch the edge of a container.
Free Font Resources
Google Fonts has 1,500+ free, license-free fonts — all usable for commercial work. Recommended starter pairs: Playfair Display + Lato, Cormorant Garamond + Montserrat, Libre Baskerville + Source Sans Pro.
Typography is taught in depth in CIMT's Graphic Design Mastery Program.