Deciding on the best fonts for direct mail is not an easy task, and this graphic design element can make or break your mailer and campaign before it even has a chance to get off the ground. The wrong font choices can make your item look amateurish, unprofessional, difficult to read, and so uninteresting that no one gives your mailer a second look.
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The Best Fonts for Direct Mail Will Depend on the Situation
The selection of the best fonts for direct mail will depend on the individual situation. In some cases you may want to use bold, serif, and handwritten fonts in order to get the desired response, at other times you may make completely different font picks because you are hoping for a different response from the reader.
Serif type has thick and thin lines with horizontal serifs that pull your eye across the page. Eyes love serif type for denser copy such as books, brochures, ads and magazines.
Source: Pat Friesen
Professional Graphic Design Assistance can Help With Font Selection
If you are not sure about which of the many font styles and choices to use then you may want to get graphic design assistance so that you get a decent return on your investment and your campaign materials do not fall flat on arrival. A professional in this area can help you decide the fonts that will work best for your campaign and your intended goals.
How Readable Are the Fonts You Choose?
The very best fonts for direct mail will be those that offer easy readability to the reader. Some font types, styles, and sizes are more difficult to read than others are. Evaluate the readability of your font choices once you have a final design to evaluate. This will show whether you should make further changes or if your text can be easily read.
Custom Fonts versus Standard Font Choices
If you consult with a graphic design expert, you may be able to have customized fonts created specifically for your direct mail materials, if you have a big enough budget and this is something that you are willing to consider. You can expect to pay more for this service, but in exchange, you can get unique fonts that are not commonly used.
Finding Custom Fonts
The internet provides several places to purchase custom fonts. Each online provider has different licensing requirements and be sure to read the fine print carefully. Fonts can cost from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars.
Websites for Custom Fonts
- Adobe Typekit – You need a subscription to Typekit to access their thousands of fonts. They provide fonts for web and applications.
- Font Shop – Typefaces are available as single fonts or in packages that are more cost-effective. They are available for both single and multiple users.
- My Fonts – This site claims to have the largest collection of fonts. They also provide a service and forum to help identify fonts that you have seen.
Item Size Can Help Determine Ideal Font Picks
One of the considerations with the best fonts for direct mail is the final size of the mailer that you are sending out. A larger mailer will allow a larger font size, and even possibly a bolder style as well. Small mailers may mean a small font size in order to fit all of the text on the item, and this could cause problems reading the text as a result.
Handwritten Fonts Tend to Increase Response Rates
In research studies one of the best fonts for direct mail as far as response rates are concerned is handwritten font. This gives the idea of a personal communication, and this is something that few people can resist opening. Many view this type of font as something that must be opened, like a letter from a family member or old friend instead of a mailed advertisement or marketing item.
Use a Different Font for Headlines and Other Special Elements of the Copy
When you are in the graphic design process make sure that you use a different font style for the headlines and other special elements in the copy, to set these apart from the rest of the text. If you do not do this then you end up with a large block of text that seems unmanageable to the reader. This will cause them to throw your mailer away instead of carefully going over it.
Mix It Up a Little
When you are evaluating the best fonts for direct mail for your next campaign consider mixing things up a little. It is okay to use a few different fonts in your mailer as long as you are not excessive. A maximum of 3 font choices should be included, anything more can create a confusing appearance that may be off putting to your readers.
What do you think the best fonts for direct mail are and why?
