What are the best fonts for infographics and why?

1 Why fonts matter

Fonts are not just decorative elements. They have a significant impact on how your infographics are perceived, understood, and remembered. Fonts convey meaning, mood, tone, and hierarchy. They can attract attention, emphasize key points, create contrast, and establish coherence. Fonts can also affect readability, accessibility, and credibility. Choosing the wrong fonts can confuse, distract, or annoy your viewers, and undermine your message.

2 Types of fonts

Fonts can be broadly classified into two categories: serif and sans serif. Serif fonts have small strokes or lines at the end of the main strokes of the letters, such as Times New Roman or Georgia. Sans serif fonts do not have these strokes, such as Arial or Helvetica. Serif fonts are usually associated with tradition, elegance, and formality, while sans serif fonts are seen as modern, clean, and casual. Serif fonts are often preferred for print materials, as they can improve readability and legibility. Sans serif fonts are more suitable for digital media, as they can display better on screens and smaller devices.

3 How to choose fonts

Finding the best fonts for an infographic is not a straightforward task, as it depends on various factors such as the topic, tone, audience, and medium. To help you make an informed decision, consider using fonts that match your message and brand identity. For example, if your infographic is about a serious or professional topic, avoid playful or whimsical fonts. Additionally, select fonts that are easy to read and understand, with distinct shapes, characters, and spacing. It is also important to create contrast and hierarchy by using different fonts for different purposes such as titles, subtitles, headings, body text, labels, captions and quotes. You can also use variations of the same font family such as bold or italic to emphasize certain elements.

4 Examples of fonts

For inspiration, here are some examples of fonts commonly used for infographics and why they work well. Lato is a versatile, elegant, modern sans serif font with 18 styles ranging from thin to black; it can be used for both headlines and body text, and supports many languages and symbols. Roboto is a flexible, friendly, and functional sans serif font with 12 styles; it was designed for Google's Android platform and optimized for web and mobile devices. Montserrat is a geometric, stylish, and expressive sans serif font with 18 styles inspired by the signage and posters of Buenos Aires. Raleway is an elegant, refined, sophisticated sans serif font with 18 styles featuring a single diagonal stroke in the uppercase W and lowercase w. Open Sans is a simple, neutral, universal sans serif font with 10 styles designed for web and print use; it can be used for body text and labels. Merriweather is a warm, inviting, classic serif font with 8 styles designed for screen use; it has high contrast and large counters. Playfair Display is an elegant, stylish, dramatic serif font with 12 styles featuring high contrast and a large x-height. Oswald is a bold, modern, striking sans serif font with 6 styles that has a condensed and uppercase-only design.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?