What makes a typeface feel exciting to one person but boring to another? It turns out that our culture and geography can have a lot to do with how fonts make us feel, according to new research from Monotype, the Massachusetts-based type giant whose library includes Arial, Futura, and Helvetica.
In 2021, Monotype partnered with Neurons, an applied-neuroscience company, to study whether typefaces can affect our emotional state. In their new report Typography Matters, the authors “wanted to understand how fonts drive experiences, associations, and feelings, and assess the effectiveness of different typefaces in unique situations.”
Their findings suggest global brands might want to rethink their type strategy.
Surveying 1,957 participants from eight countries—Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Portugal, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S.—researchers tested three typefaces: Gilroy, FS Jack, and Cotford. The study found certain typefaces were received similarly across all regions. A geometric sans serifs like Gilroy, for example, typically conveys honesty and clarity. While humanist fonts (those that have roots in hand-drawn calligraphy) like FS Jack, widely suggest innovation and distinction, according to the report. To test non-Latin alphabets, Monotype identified fonts of a similar style and origin, like the font Tazugane Gothic, which was used to assess Japanese characters.
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