Google Fonts

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Google Fonts

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free fontsSo you know what your group/organization does. You have an idea of how to present yourself. You have some great photographs and you understand online etc. presence. But how do fonts figure into this?

First off, a quick definition: A font is a set of printable or displayable text characters in a specific style and size. The type design for a set of fonts is the typeface, and variations of this design form the typeface family. Thus, “Helvetica” is a typeface family, “Helvetica italic” is a typeface, and “Helvetica italic 10-point” is a font. In practice, font and typeface are often used without much precision, sometimes interchangeably. We’ll keep it the same here.

Assume that you don’t have a logo, but you have a name. If you pick a good font for your name, that can become your logo. It’s that simple, and this is pretty much what we did for the Shoestring Collective.

So, for anything you do, be it in print or online: pick ONE good font for your group’s/organization’s name, and one font for “normal” text. If you have to, pick a “header” font for your website that is not your “name” font. That is all you need, but you need to keep it consistent.

Some “Best Practices” when it comes to fonts:

  1. Your name should look great, whether you put it on a website or embroidered/printed on a shirt.
  2. Run what you pick by a few people.
  3. Your “secondary” font should be easy to read and not as fancy as your “name” font.
  4. Just like with everything else, KEEP IT SIMPLE.

Unfortunately, some of the greatest fonts ever designed come with a price tag. But, fret not: enter Google Fonts. You can choose from some now widely used, absolutely free fonts for all of your design needs. In fact, we’re using a few of them on this site. Check them out here.

Don’t know how to install a font? We’ve got you covered:

How to Install a Font
How to Install a Font