Too many fonts on a page leads to chaos
Tuesday’s Design Tip for Graphic Designers
Just when I thought I’d heard it all, someone says something that completely surprises me.
Someone was asking my opinion on a design they’d done (it was a brochure). I’m always more than happy to share my thoughts on something I’m passionate about 
They showed me a design they’d just created. They were very proud of it. No doubt, they probably spent countless hours on it, I’m not sure.
I tried to be diplomatic in my response. I asked why they chose to have a different typeface for every testimonial on the page (there were 6 testimonials on the back of the brochure).
The reason completely threw me off.
They said that it was because they wanted to choose a typeface that “spoke” what the testimonials were saying. So, if the testimonials was jovial, they chose a very frilly font (think Curlz).
How do you respond to that? They probably spent hours looking for “appropriate” typefaces that conveyed the “essence” of the testimonial.
When less really is more
What the person did not realize is that her design actually was undermined because of all the typefaces. It looked chaotic and unprofessional.
Typography needs to be chosen based on the whole content, not on every single little part of it. It needs to work as a whole. The design of the piece should support and complement the copy, not override it.
I’m afraid that’s what happened here, I spent more time looking at the typography than reading the actual brochure (and don’t get me started on the readability of these typefaces).
C O N C L U S I O N :
I know that type is supposed to set the tone of the piece. But, it’s for the overall piece not every single aspect of it!
Too many typefaces on a page leads to chaos, no matter what your logic is behind the typeface selections.
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