How to Choose Fonts for Flyers

On most flyers, you'll have a headline meant to catch the attention of anyone who sees it. Finding the right font for the headline is crucial. In general, you want a font that will stand out — perhaps even catch the eye of a passerby without them even needing to read the words. If you choose to go with a decorative font, the first step is to make sure that the typeface matches the message of your flyer. Many decorative fonts are general purpose but you wouldn't want to use a winter-themed font for a flyer related to baseball.

A shortcut for finding a decorative font may be to use any typeface used in your business' or organization's logo. You've already spent time showing that logo to your clients and customers, through business cards and other marketing materials, so using it in a flyer can help readers associate the flyer with your business.

It's worthwhile to print out test copies of your flyer with several different font options. You can run an informal test on how they look from across the room and get a better idea of which options will be easier for someone to read, as well as which fonts are more noticeable.

While your headline should be set in a fancier font, the body of your flyer should be set in something a little plainer: while it's the job of the headline to get noticed, the body text must be easy to read. A simple font is the best choice because it guarantees that even those people that may have some difficulty reading your flyer will have an easier time of it. There is some debate as to whether serif or sans serif fonts are better for flyers — studies are not truly conclusive as to whether one is better than the other.

However, it's worth trying to match the style of your headline text to the best of your abilities. While the styles in both serif fonts and sans serif fonts are subtle, some fonts do match better than others. Some fonts meant for body text can seem a little more traditional, while others can seem more modern. One may have sharper angles, another may be more curved. It's just a matter of testing out different fonts and seeing what matches.