I’ve been diving into the world of fonts lately, and I’ve noticed a growing trend of “fancy fonts” generated by certain tools that end up being either unreadable or overly complicated. While I understand the creative intent, some of these fonts feel impractical for real-world use, especially for branding or professional design.
I’d like to hear your thoughts on this:
1- What’s your take on overly fancy fonts that prioritize aesthetics over usability?
2- Are there specific guidelines for balancing creativity and practicality when designing fonts?
3- How do you personally avoid creating “stupid” fonts that might look good but fail in terms of readability or functionality?
Looking forward to an interesting discussion on this!
I agree that many of these “fancy” fonts can be hard to read, but I think they do have a place—especially when it comes to very specific marketing materials or campaign-focused visuals. For instance, if you’re designing a limited-edition product launch or a promotional event poster, a highly decorative typeface can help convey a certain mood or exclusivity. In those cases, the font’s aesthetic impact can be more important than day-to-day legibility.
Ultimately, it comes down to context. If the goal is everyday usability or brand consistency, sticking with clear, versatile fonts makes sense. But if you’re aiming for a unique visual statement in a controlled setting—like a short-term ad campaign or a piece meant to grab attention—then these “fancy” fonts can serve a purpose. They just need to be chosen with the intended audience and medium in mind.
This isn’t a “growing trend” it has been with us for a looooong time.
I think it might help if you think of a font as a window, a window to the information contained in the text being printed. Like most windows their purpose is to see through them, to get a clear view of what is on the other side. But there are some windows whose purpose is to see the window itself, think of a stained glass window in a church. Here the purpose is to view the window and not what is on the other side.
As Erwin said “it comes down to context”. An experienced typographer wouldn’t use a fancy typeface in a context which requires quick and accurate comprehension of the information being conveyed or for a long piece of text but they would use a fancy typeface where they want to draw attention to the existance of the message itself where a less fancy typeface might be overlooked (think advertising).