Introduction
Channels and Platforms
Brand Behaviors
Typography
Typography is more than selecting a font - it is a vital instrument in conveying our brand voice and tone.
What Is New?
On social media it can be difficult to stand out. That is why we are intentional with our typeface. While many brands use Helvetica, we apply it differently. We approach our use of type with the priority on its clarity. This contributes towards a perception of us as a confident, contemporary and trusted brand. Keeping our communications simple and standardized helps to transform a widely-used font into something uniquely Crowe.
Primary Typeface
Building on the legacy of our original brand font, Helvetica, we have transitioned to Helvetica Now for its superior optimization for digital platforms. This modern evolution maintains the classic aesthetics of Helvetica, but with refinements that ensure enhanced legibility and readability, especially on screens. It is a subtle yet significant shift, making Helvetica Now our preferred choice for digital channels.
Font weights and styles:
The Helvetica Now typeface has a broad spectrum of weights and styles, offering versatility from bold to italic and everything in between. While this range provides flexibility for various design needs, we prioritize clarity and consistency in our digital communications. To achieve this, we should use 'Helvetica Now Display Bold' for headings and 'Helvetica Now Text Regular' for body copy. This focused selection ensures our content remains engaging, easily navigable, and instantly recognizable across all our digital touchpoints.
Type styling
Casing
Always default to sentence case for copy; use title case only for attributions and proper nouns. Reserve all-caps treatment for section headings and buttons, and never set type in all lowercase.
Punctuation
We use standard punctuation in body copy. Do not use punctuation in headlines, section headings, links or buttons, unless it is necessary for comprehension. Other considerations:
- Do not use ampersands (&) or plus signs (+) in place of "and."
- Do not use the Oxford/serial comma.
- Use en dashes (–), not hyphens, for a span or range of numbers, dates or times.
- Do not use spaces around em dashes.
- Set end punctuation inside closing quotation marks.
Letter spacing
Effective letter spacing is crucial for legibility; while tighter or solid spacing creates clearer blocks of text, overly loose spacing can disrupt readability and detract from the design intent.
Line height
Proper line height is essential for readability; a balanced height ensures clear text separation and optimal legibility. Too much space between lines can make content feel disjointed and harder to follow.
Remember
For impactful social media writing, brevity is key. A concise and straightforward message resonates more powerfully than lengthy explanations; simplicity often speaks the loudest.
Alternative Font Use
When our brand fonts are not supported or available, use these fonts as an alternative. The alternative options are shown from left to right in order of preference.
Application: Simplify and Standardize
We have refined our typography to reinforce legibility. By standardizing our typographic style, we strengthen the clarity and consistency of our brand's voice, encouraging more effective engagement through straightforward, undiluted messaging.
Headings
Grabbing attention and setting the stage, our headings utilize Helvetica Now Display Bold to capture attention ensuring our message stands out.
Subheadings
When subheadings are employed, they should mirror the body copy in style, set in Helvetica Now Text Bold, with no paragraph space. This approach underscores important information without disrupting the visual flow.
Body text
For main content, we use Helvetica Now Text Regular to create a comfortable reading experience. The font maintains a
clean, hierarchical flow from headings into more detailed information.
clean, hierarchical flow from headings into more detailed information.
Hierarchy and clarity
By consistently applying these type styles, we establish a recognizable and engaging typographic structure. This simplicity in design allows our content to be direct and our messaging impactful.
Accessibility
Ensuring accessibility, especially in the fast-paced world of social media, requires a fine balance. While we strive for maximum accessibility inline with global standards, determining a universal font size presents a challenge.
Diverse devices and displays
Users access digital content on a plethora of devices, from smartphones and tablets to desktops with varying screen
resolutions and sizes. A font size that is legible on one device may not be on another.
resolutions and sizes. A font size that is legible on one device may not be on another.
User preferences and customizations
Many users customize their device settings, adjusting font sizes to their preference. What appears large on one user's feed might seem small to another due to these customizations.
Platform constraints
Different social media platforms have distinct design constraints and may resize or reformat content based on their algorithms and design guidelines. This can alter the appearance of fonts, sometimes beyond our control.
Zoom and scaling
With the ability to zoom or scale content, what might be set as a specific font size can be experienced differently by users, depending on their interactions.
Contrast and background
Font legibility is not only about size. The contrast between text and its background, along with font type and weight is important. On vibrant social media channels, where visuals dominate, ensuring contrast is as vital as the font size.
In light of this, while we aim for maximum accessibility, it is challenging to set a universal rule for legibility on digital channels. Instead, our approach focuses on flexible guidelines that accommodate a majority.
What to Avoid
Implementing our brand typography correctly is essential for conveying our message consistently across all mediums.
To ensure our content remains legible and engaging, here are some common things to avoid.
Do not use non brand compliant fonts.
Do not neglect line spacing and letter spacing; proper spacing improves readability.
Do not compromise readability with excessively small font sizes.
Do not clutter designs with too many font weights or styles.
Do not stretch or distort fonts; always maintain their original proportions.
Do not place text on overly busy or contrasting backgrounds.
Remember
Proper hierarchy using font weights and styles can enhance content readability and engagement.
