'Rules of Thumb'

This is from an article I read on thedieline.com, it is written by Yael Miller. Yael is a brand identity and packaging designer for a studio called Miller Creative. She also is the senior editor at The Dieline. The article is called "Top 15 Fonts for Packaging Design," Yael lists her 15 favorite fonts that she has used over the years for packaging design, and then concludes by giving some 'rules of thumb' about typography. I thought her tips were helpful and something to keep in mind while working on future type and viscom projects. Below, I posted her rules and few examples from her top 15 fonts that I particularly liked.

SOME RULES OF THUMB:

Keep # of Fonts to a Minimum.

Try to keep the number of fonts on a package at 2-3 typefaces total. It's best to keep the number of fonts used in a design to a minimum. Sometimes there are exceptions, but use your best judgment.

Kerning is Mandatory.

No font, no matter how expensive or good it is, is immune to irregular kerning. You should always double-check the spacing between letters to make sure they're even. This will make the difference between amateur design and professional work.

Fonts are Not Infallible.

If a specific letter looks weird or somehow 'off', use your judgment to repair or replace it. Some fonts (especially hand-written scripts and free fonts) have strange-looking characters. You should use a critical eye and replace or tweak a character until it looks right.

Readability is King.

If you can't read it, it probably doesn't belong on packaging. Again, there are exceptions to this rule, but it's rare. No matter how 'cool' a font is, if you can't read it, the package is handicapped in conveying its message - what's inside and why you should buy it.