The Correct Way to Design With Bold Lettering

A common practice in writing and design is using BOLD type fonts. This heavier and darker text captures the audience’s attention and signals the importance of a specific feature. While it may be a handy tool in emphasising your most necessary points, it can easily break a designer’s or writer’s work if overdone.

‍

The question is not why should I use bold lettering? But instead, where should I use bold lettering? The truth is, this feature is beneficial within the forefront of writing and design - it is only the amount that you should be cautious of. 

Read more to learn about some pointers which highlight both the positive and the negative effects bold lettering can have on your designs and written pieces.

‍

That’s a bold title!

You would commonly use a bold type font in a title, headline, or sentence that needs emphasis so that it stands out. By doing so, you highlight the importance of the entire text itself, as a vivid heading tends to attract readers or viewers. Bold lettering subconsciously draws attention to the eye, slowing the brain down to absorb the words carefully. This feature is known as visual contrast. Contrast is the method of juxtaposition between individual design elements. In the context of both writing and design, it will help signify what is most important. The visual contrast between bold and regular type fonts should always be handled carefully. If used sparingly and appropriately, you cannot go wrong.

‍

If you find yourself boldening most of your content, your text will quickly become illegible and even lose its significance. The timeless saying ‘less is more’ can always be applied to the world of writing and design, and boldening your text is no different. 

‍

As Simple as White Space and Bolded Text

For your words to stand out, it needs contrast. If there is a considerable portion with a bold type font, chances are your audience will become overwhelmed and likely stop reading. Try only boldening a single word or even an entire sentence. That way, the regular text surrounding it will help emphasise the meaning of the text in bold.

Boldening an entire paragraph will make any essential words lose their power and legibility. Your most compelling statements can become compressed within a sea of dark and heavy text; the amount of white space will decrease, resulting in a cluttered structure. White space is a design term that represents the area within a page without any words or visuals. It helps readers understand the text better as a sense of balance and clarity emerges from the visual contrast. If there is little white space and an abundance of bold text, each word will stick to one another, making it difficult to read.

‍

Bolded Branding

While the correct way to use bold lettering in a text is established, the discussion involving this feature in brand names sets in. A single word that appears in bold lettering cannot lose value as there are no contrasting elements that may reduce its emphasis. However, that does not mean that the weight this one word carries holds all the significance to a brand itself. An example that incorporates both negative and positive effects of bold lettering is the Nike logo. The bold Futura font accompanied by the iconic ‘swoosh’ logo has become a staple in athleisure and footwear. Nike, as a name, is short and effective, denoting the Greek goddess of victory. The logo builds on simplicity as well, depicting the goddess’s wing ‘swooshing’ to symbolise speed and motivation.

With top-selling items like Nike’s Air Force 1s, which exclusively incorporates the ‘swoosh’ logo, the name itself - Nike - is slowly phasing out. This may be because the name's bold wording pulls focus away from the actual brand identifier; the ‘swoosh’. Logos and visuals are what grab people’s attention; with Nike, it is a universal symbol, statement, and mindset. Their tagline “Just Do It" is not so much associated with the name, more than it is with their logo.

‍

‍

Key memos you can take away are: 

1. The more words you bolden, the less readable the entire text becomes. 
2. To draw readers in, you should highlight the title and a few of your most important words. 
3. If you happen to be a designer working for a company, creating a simple yet symbolic logo for your business is an excellent alternative to using bold lettering. 

‍

By following these guidelines, you will be on the road to making your text stand out in all the right ways.

‍