Generational Attitudes Towards Typefaces Fonts serve three main purposes in good design: 1. They help convey the tone and sentiment of your message. 2. They enhance readability. 3. They keep the design visually appealing. We all have a favorite font—but picking favorites doesn’t always lead to the right choice for your project. An important step in choosing the right font is to think about the generation you are marketing to. Each generation – from Baby Boomers to Generation Z – have impacted how we design and communicate. Let’s first set the stage: Is a font a typeface or is a typeface a font? A typeface is the name of a speci c collection of fonts, like Arial. It features consistent aesthetic qualities across various weights or styles within its groups. The word font, however, refers to speci c attributes such as size and weight within that family. For instance, Arial Bold and Arial Narrow are distinct fonts under the same typeface. What is a serif font versus a san serif font We refer to serif and san serif fonts in this blog – but that may be new terminology to some of you. Serif fonts are known for the strokes that extend from the edges of the character – think of the feet that ground each letter. They carry a sense of tradition and re nement. A few examples include: Times New Roman Georgia Baskerville San serif fonts ditch the strokes and embrace a sleeker, more straightforward design. They provide a more modern aesthetic to your design. A few examples include: Arial Roboto Gill Sans Now let’s talk about the font preferences for each generation: Baby Boomers 1946 to 1964 This generation came of age during a time of immense change, so they gravitate towards fonts that are simple and practical. When choosing the right font, prioritize function over form. For this generation (who may be experiencing age-related vision changes), you should consider font size, kerning—the spacing between letters or characters—and line. While they may be viewed as bland and boring, serif fonts like Times and Garamond are easier on the eyes. Simple sans serif fonts like Helvetica and Gill Sans are also easy to read. Bolding type or underlining works better for emphasis than using italics .
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