Skip to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.

Web Designer Forum

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

Need help explaining fonts to client

Featured Replies

Hello!

 

I'm a new web designer and working on a logo for my first client. I've chosen PT Sans a nice (in my opinion), free font for his logo but my client is concerned that the 'a' appears lower than the other letters in his company name. Sure enough, the bowl of the 'a' dips slightly below the baseline (as does the 's' and others). I'm preparing alternatives but many sans-serifs share this feature. Are there any font experts out there who can explain this aspect of font design so I can relay it to this and future clients?

 

Thanks so much!

 

Sincerely,

Stephen

'ello Stephen - welcome to the forum :)

 

Ah... fonts. One of the hardest things to explain to customers and to fully appreciate as an art form :( PT Sans is a favourite of mine too. Not sure as a logo (tried that and felt the 'K' wasn't great) - I particularly like it for body text. Anyhoo, if you're treading the minefield of bowls and descenders et al, refer to the x-height of the typeface and how it affects readability. Obviously a higher x-height being easier to read - sans serif usually have a high x-height, etc, etc

 

Personally though, if a client doesn't like the look or feel of type - particularly a logo - then I would suggest another font. You can't expect clients to appreciate type (and to be honest, from my arty farty circles, I don't expect them to either :(). Try find a compromise and perhaps use PT Sans elsewhere within the work. At the end of the day, it's drawing the line where the client 'knows what they like' - regardless of theory and other aesthetic principles.

 

Good luck :)

Edited by 4li4s

The client did select another font for the logo. If I get the contract for the website as well then maybe I'll find a spot for PT Sans there. Thanks for the wisdom! :)

 

You're more than welcome :D What font did they go with, just out of curiosity?

  • Author

They chose Montserrat, another free font available via Google Fonts. The bowls in this font also dip below the base line but I don't think it's necessary to point that out to the client 0=)

Hmm.. it's a nice font. Not really adventurous though, is it? You wanna look at paid for fonts in the future. Not only will you have a better choice of typeface and weights, but it'll put off clients being too picky when they hear the sound of 'kerching' ;)

Create an account or sign in to comment

Account

Navigation

Search

Search

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.