If you think that only your handwriting can reveal your personality and your emotions, think again because the fonts you use can also do the same. This was what a survey conducted by researchers at Wichita State University’s Software Usability Research Laboratory found out.
The survey, which was conducted in 2006, wanted to determine whether fonts have emotions and personalities associated with them. So they interviewed more than 500 individuals regarding their perception of various fonts across different typefaces. These fonts were presented in different uses, such as books, emails, news, and headlines.
After that, the researchers asked each individuals to associate each font with a certain personality or emotion. What they found out was that the fonts which belong to the same typefaces ended up together into five big categories.
The first one was the Sans Serif typeface which includes Arial, Calibri, Verdana, and Century Gothic among others. According to the participants, these fonts show an all-purpose personality type. On the other hand, the Serif typeface, such as Times New Romans, shows a more traditional personality.
Meanwhile, the Script typeface shows a creative and funny personality, a Modern typeface like Impact and Rockwell XBold are very assertive, and the Monospaced typeface like Consolas, is plain, dull, and unimaginative.
Aside from this survey, another study was conducted in 2014 which focused on cognitive fluency, a theory which has something to do with how our brain processes information. What the study found out was the harder it is to read the fonts the more people think how difficult the task of reading is.
Using these findings when crafting an email or writing a blog, if you want people to read what you wrote, make sure that you use easy to read fonts. Furthermore, be strategic when using fonts in different projects. Lastly, you can use fonts to attract readers or convey a certain emotion. Thus, if you want people to stay much longer and read what you wrote, use a font that is accessible and universal. On the other hand, if you want to convey fun and playfulness in a children's website, then using a Script typeface is the most ideal.
