What caused you to choose one movie over the other the last time you visited the theater? While you might not recognize it, 39% of moviegoers decided based on what they saw on the poster. According to design experts, the font creates a cinematic mood and identity for the film. Thus, there is much to gain from awesome movie poster fonts.
To prove the point above, look at the font types used for horror movies and compare them with what producers of cartoons or corporate drama use. And why is it so difficult to choose a font? Can’t any font work? Well, the initial attention of your target audience is crucial to the success of any production project. As promo producers will tell you, the visuals of a poster combine to tip the judgment of a potential viewer towards your movie.
Does that mean that there are fonts for particular movies? Not at all! The font is the last feature to add to the graphics for your poster. As such, there is a method to choose font and room for creativity at the same time.
A movie poster font appears to be a big deal. A review of the psychology of capturing potential viewers’ attention will help you understand why the choice is so important.
The Psychology of Picking Movie Poster Fonts
Without any doubt, the graphics on a movie poster are deliberately chosen to entice viewers. Such representations say something about what to expect in the movie. At the center of the pictures are the movie’s title and more information to encourage people to watch.
Since posters are part of visual enhancement, the starting point is recognizing that bad visuals are never attractive. The mind of a person seeing your sign must decode the message immediately upon visiting your poster. Predictably, if a font is not appealing, the movie flops.
A font plays three roles in marketing a movie.
Gives the Title of the Movie
The title tells movie enthusiasts what to expect from a film. The title captures this information. Other details, like the series title or names of actors, are also included in the poster. This information will only be delivered accurately if the title is clear. Well, you must, therefore, choose a font that is easy to read from a distance. It should be easy to distinguish one letter from the other. As graphic designers preparing branding materials will tell you, if people cannot decode the information from a distance, they will not come nearer or develop an interest in your work.
Combines With Other Graphics to Make the Movie Attractive
Images on the poster, movie title, and other minor details are the cocktail that will capture your target viewership’s attention. Horror enthusiasts are looking for a combination of images and the label to grab attention. It explains why titles appear to be burning, trapped, flying, floating, and such other effects. Movie poster designers use graphical enhancements to grab the attention of potential fans.
Tells Something about the Content of Your Movie
The choice of a movie poster font is not an innocent endeavor. Producers and graphic designers use the font to pass a message. To put it clearly, the theme of a movie will always be captured by the font.
For instance, horror movies acted in the forest could feature extended fonts. A section of the font could also be a tree trunk, for example. When performed in the house or an office, the letters may sit on couches or form part of items on the scene. It is a creative way of getting potential viewers to develop an interest in your movie by introducing the theme creatively.
If fonts are to perform the above three roles, the choice made must be deliberate. You will also notice that not all fonts can fit a title or other details on a poster. Still, you do not have to settle for a single font type. You are at liberty to represent different details using unique fonts.
Four Types of Movie Poster Fonts and Where to Use Them
Analysts have categorized fonts into four different categories based on their design and suitability for other occasions.
Here are the four types of fonts, examples of these fonts, and where they can be used during typography to help you understand fonts better.
Serif Fonts
Professional designers looking for excellence settle for Serif fonts. You can identify the fonts by the dashes that extend at the end of each letter. The fonts will give your poster a classic or old-fashioned feel.
Remember to use serif fonts on headlines like titles and to create a feeling of sophistication. The fonts are a bit formal, meaning that your movie’s theme must rhyme with the formality. Some of the fonts in this bracket include Didone, Slab Serif, Transitional, and Clarendon. The title may capture a smaller cluster in the larger serif category.
Sans Serif Fonts
The extending dashes on serif fonts came with a lot of rejection. The fonts became illegible at some point, leaving room for san serif fonts to take over. These cousins of the serif variety are considered bold, legible, simple, and modern. Do you know why? They lack the dashes on the edges, leaving the reader to focus on the message.
Furthermore, this serif splinter group is considered a jack of all trades because it looks great with any size or length. It will fit a minimalistic graphic situation and still be perfect where graphics have filled the page. Some of the fonts in this category include Humanist, Neo-grotesque, Grotesque, and Geometric fonts.
Script Fonts
As the name suggests, the fonts appear to be hand-written. They may, therefore, include a bit of calligraphy.
Luckily, they bring elegance to your poster and beauty in design. Nevertheless, script fonts are not meant for readability or legibility. When used on short headers and words, they easily capture attention. However, use them for playful and sarcastic movies.
Script fonts are further classified as formal or casual. They include Elegy, Young Baroque, Belltrap, and Vivaldi, among others. You may find further extensions into decorative and calligraphy.
Display/Decorative
Do not be confused by the repetition of the decorative category. Thin lines split these modern and playful fonts. You will also need the best title or logo software to distinguish the difference. The fonts are current and embrace a lot of creativity.
Furthermore, the fonts capture features of graffiti, three-dimension, and even abstract ideas. These fonts include Grunge, Psychedelic, and fonts coming out of graffiti.
Creating Own Font
Where do fonts come from, and has the source dried up? Well, people have learned to use the available resources. However, no one stops you from generating a unique font for your use. As indicated above, graffiti drawers have produced fonts, though they may not be available for public usage.
If you are tired of using the apparent fonts, technology has come to your rescue. Numerous graphics apps allow you to create a range of fonts to fit your specific requirements. Wouldn’t it be interesting to have a font named after you?
Balancing Text with Graphics on a Movie Poster
As you may have noticed already, movie posters are made of text and graphics like images or illustrations. This means that the font does not play on its own on a sign. The font is just one of the ensemble players, only that it holds a significant state.
Here are the other three elements that have to balance with the font to create a captivating poster:
Font Size
No one will tell you to use font 24, 30, or 38 on a poster. Other factors, like bold, average, or italic, also depend on your creativity. Still, size is a crucial determinant of balance on a poster.
Posters with graphics backgrounds work well with large fonts. Moreover, people and significant items like iconic actors are involved. Remember, the size may reduce to give room for the drama playing on your poster. Once you integrate the font with items on the poster like people or trees, you’ll have more room to play with size.
The bottom line is to settle for a font size that does not intimidate other features on your poster or is swallowed, losing its ability to communicate. Whether you add features like 3D, the colors you choose, and the background enhance your font size.
Font Color
Bold colors like red, blue, and black make fonts conspicuous. The background also affects how the font appears. Choose a color within the theme while also considering hue balance on your poster. Color wheel basics will guide you to make a perfect choice.
Graphics on the Poster
What graphics or images are on your poster? The font should complement the pictures on the sign.
Formal graphics should follow a traditional setting. Where the movie is an animation, the best pictures are illustrations.
How to Choose the Right Movie Poster Fonts
You’ll have to settle on a font for your movie poster. Again, there is no checklist for choosing a font for a movie poster because multiple factors are at play at each moment.
As a summary, here are the ingredients to weigh so that your movie poster grabs the attention of your target audience.
- Readability and Legibility
Choose a font that is legible from a distance. Remember, posters are displayed at strategic points to capture the attention of your target audience.
If the details on your poster are illegible, the attention you need will be unavailable. Since reading is to understand the message, choose a font with clear and distinguishable letters.
- Movie Theme
Are you working with a sad or playful theme? Let it be evident through the font.
There is a category of fonts for every movie genre. Even if the theme is fuzzy, choose a blended font that cuts across themes without appearing out of place. An experienced graphic designer will help you to determine the right movie poster fonts.
- Creativity
As indicated above, nothing stops you from choosing any font. Since graphic design is a creative process, use your imagination to settle for the most appropriate. Furthermore, each category has several fonts that can fit.
- Content of Your Poster
Match the font type and features with other items on your poster. The idea is to create a single poster instead of a placard with unblended fonts and graphics. Remember, the colors, sizes, type, and graphics must communicate a special message.
In Conclusion
It takes an expert typographer to get your font game right. It would be best if you had a unique poster that delivers the main message about your movie. Also, engage experts, and your poster will be the talk of the town.
Ultimately, you’ll have produced a fantastic movie. Do not ruin the icing by settling for a low-grade poster.
Create the best movie poster by engaging experts from Bunny Studio and watch an ordinary movie turn into a blockbuster.
