When Steve Jobs gave the commencement speech to Stanford University in 2005, he referenced a class that he took in his (brief) college career, which turned out to be hugely influential on him and the history of personal computing. Was it computer science, or business, or engineering? No — it was a calligraphy class! We agree with Steve: fonts are important. That’s why you should know how to choose the best fonts for your labels, products, and brand.
E-commerce
Head-To-Head
Which font style will my customers like?
Updated: May 25, 2021How to test your product fonts
Font selection is an important part of product optimization. For often-used products like deodorant, you might assume that an easy-to-read, sans serif font such as Arial is the way to go. While Arial is one of the easiest fonts to read and one of the most popular for written content on the Internet, that doesn’t mean it’s the best font for your product. If you are selling a product for the home, for example, you’ll want to think about what your product font communicates to your customers about your brand.
With PickFu, you can easily test fonts to see what your target audience prefers. Upload images of product packaging with different fonts and run a Head-To-Head poll or a Ranked poll, or test images of the fonts alone. You could also run an Open-Ended poll asking how people feel about a certain font as a way to gauge brand perception.
Pro tip: the more context you can give to respondents, the better. Asking the question, “You are shopping for an inflatable pool toy for your friend’s child’s birthday. Which font do you like better, and why?” will yield more thoughtful feedback than if you just asked, “Which font do you like, and why?”
About this pantry label font test
This poll asks 50 female respondents which of two fonts they like best for pre-printed pantry labels. Option A is a slighty bold serif font; Option B is sans serif. Pantry labels are a frequently used item, so you might think that font clarity is the most important factor.
Turns out, appearance counts as much, if not more. 60% of respondents voted for Option A, preferring its “more classy” and “traditional” look to Option B. “It looks very European and fancy and I just like it,” one respondent wrote.
Interestingly, a lot of respondents noted that Option A is actually easier to read, which goes to show that readability isn’t determined solely by whether or not a font is sans serif. As one respondent said, “I like the bolder font. It is more formal and easy to read.”
Take a look at your poll responses and see what other themes and ideas come up. Use the results to narrow down your font options or revise your design, then run another poll.
Getting audience feedback on your font selection will not only guide you in choosing the best fonts with the most visual impact, but it might also help you optimize your packaging design.
Which font do you like best and why? These will be pre-printed pantry labels.
50 people answered this 2 option Head-to-Head poll in 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Selected responses:
Option A is a classic font. It looks classy and could easily match the aesthetic of a kitchen (like the appliances, the paint colors, countertops, etc.). I also just like the way the words look in Option A. They look classic, like they could be found in any era, from the 1950's to now. It has a universal appeal. Option B feels more modern. I don't feel like Option B would have that universal appeal like Option A. I like the font in Option B, as it is sharp and modern, but it feels a little more whimsical and less classy than option A. I like option A the best. I like how the f's in coffee look. It looks very European and fancy and I just like it. I can read option A a little bit better because the letters are thicker. It took me longer to process some of the words in option B because I was trying to figure out the letters because they are long. I like A. A looks a little more fancier, especially the ones that says coffee, I like it a lot. The bolder font will make it easier to read as well, I tend to move quickly in the kitchen and being able to see the words fast is important.