The World’s Most Iconic Typeface
One of the most iconic brand fonts of all time is Helvetica. This typeface has so many different weights, widths and variants which make it versatile in some ways. However, it was intentionally designed to be simple and neutral, with no additional connotations.
You will find Helvetica as part of the company logos for many major brands such as Staples, Superstore, American Airlines, Jeep, Panasonic, Crate & Barrel and The North Face.
Fonts Have Meaning
We love fonts and typography! Picking the right font can add so much to your marketing strategy.
Fonts carry an underlying meaning. That meaning is determined by the style and form of each of the characters. The meaning of Comic Sans is right in its name, it’s meant to be a comic book font. Formal script fonts like Edwardian Script are used for high-end and luxurious designs.
By picking a font you can add meaning, or confuse your target audience. A wedding invite in Edwardian Script makes sense, but the same invite in Comic Sans might have some guests scratching their heads.
Like kitchen colours and car styles, fonts can date as well. Fonts that were super popular in the 50s and 60s now feel retro. This can work to your advantage if you are using them intentionally, but if you pick your fonts arbitrarily, then you can look out of touch!
When you incorporate your company name into your logo means you need to choose a font to work around. As mentioned above, Helvetica is used in many popular logos. Some of them do use a combination of text along with a symbol or picture such as LG, Post-It and BMW.
Helvetica: The Form of a Character
It is modern because it is a sans-serif typeface, even though its design was inspired by typefaces from the late 1800s. Helvetica was designed during an era when Universal Design was popular.
Universal design strives to make graphic design as accessible as possible. Helvetica was created to be neutral, to not add any meaning that different generations or cultures might not understand.
Helvetica poses a problem because it can be difficult to read on a small scale, such as in large bodies of texts or in small formats like business cards. Using Helvetica as a secondary font in your brand is not the best choice, but many brands use it as their main logo font.
Helvetica In Use
There are ways to use Helvetica creatively, depending on which elements are designed around it. Many professional logo designers swear by this font! Depending on what you are looking for in a brand, it may or may not work in your favour.
For example, the No Name brand uses Helvetica in its logo design. They use all lower case letters and do not modify the font itself. The black on yellow is iconic and hard to miss, but would you recognize it if it were white or blue?
We would say that it is the yellow that makes it recognizable, but the use of Helvetica is perfect for this brand which represents the same values as the typeface; simplicity, neutrality, and “no-frills”, if you catch my meaning. Their long-term branding has become a staple to Canadians and expanded to beer, t-shirts and Halloween costumes.
On the other hand, when Gap rebranded in 2010 from their iconic capital letters inside the blue box to “Gap” in Helvetica with a small blue, gradient box in the upper right corner. This was not their best logo idea. Their community was outraged and just one week after the rebrand launch, they announced that they would be reverting back to their old logo, and the brand identity that everyone was familiar with.
It was unnecessary to use Helvetica just for the sake of using it. A popular saying amongst the design community is “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Gap learned this lesson the hard (and expensive) way. Helvetica took away all meaning and history from the Gap brand.
Brand Font Alternatives
Our motto is “Be Bold. Be Bright. Be Brave” and Helvetica doesn’t often appear in our branding designs.
A typeface is not the only thing that defines your brand, though. Once professional designers do their research, they will develop a unique branding position that will help you reach your target audience. While fonts are important, they only play a small role in the overall brand development strategy.
Knowing your target audience allows us to decide which type of logo will best fit your brand, whether it’s a wordmark, symbol, picture or combination. Your target market will influence other brand features as well such as print design, colours, and even brand messaging.
To answer the ultimate question of whether or not Helvetica will help your brand stand out is… probably not. It takes so much more than a font to attract the attention of your ideal customers. It is possible, though, if you have a graphic designer who can create a strong brand and marketing materials around your target audience.
Want to Stand Out More Than Helvetica?
Create a professional-looking logo with Paper Lime Creative. We pride ourselves on custom logo design that will help you stand out from the crowd! No logo templates here or cookie-cutter brand development processes, only high-quality logos for your unique business. Book a Consultation Call today!