2. Think fast: Make it responsive

In a digital-first world, speed is everything. Research shows that you have just five seconds to make an impression on consumers (Portent), and the first few seconds of page load time have the biggest impact on conversion rates. Don’t waste four of those precious seconds waiting for an unresponsive font to load. 

Websites that take longer than three seconds to load lose 40% of visitors (Google), and fonts plays a crucial role in this equation. Heavy or unoptimized fonts can bog down your site, which leads to higher bounce rates, a poor user experience, and a big drop in search engine rankings. 

To make sure your fonts don’t slow you down, opt for typefaces specifically designed for the web, such as Google’s Roboto or Open Sans. Combining these fonts with a reliable content delivery network (CDN) can further enhance performance and ensure fast load times globally. 

Tips to optimize font performance: 

• Choose web-optimized fonts: Select fonts designed for digital use, such as Roboto, Open Sans, or Montserrat, which are lightweight and load efficiently. 
• Subset your fonts: Remove unnecessary characters and glyphs from your font files to reduce their size, especially if you don’t need support for multiple languages or symbols. 
• Compress font files: Use tools like Font Squirrel or Google Fonts to compress font files into formats like WOFF or WOFF2, which are optimized for web use. 
• Use a CDN: Host your fonts on a content delivery network to ensure they load quickly, regardless of where your users are located. 
• Set fallback fonts: Always include a fallback font in your CSS (e.g., Arial or Helvetica) to maintain functionality and appearance in case a custom font fails to load. 
• Limit the number of fonts: Stick to two or three font families on your site to minimize loading time while maintaining a clean and cohesive design. 
• Preload critical fonts: Use the <link rel=”preload”> tag in your HTML to prioritize loading key fonts required for above-the-fold content. 

3. Choose fonts that can go global

If your brand works internationally, your corporate font needs to easily adapt to different languages and scripts. Fonts like Arial and Noto Sans support a wide range of scripts, ensuring your content looks consistent, no matter the language.  

This adaptability is crucial because 71% of global consumers expect brands to deliver content in their native language (Unbabel). A font that works across languages ensures visual consistency, as well as communicating cultural sensitivity and professionalism. 

Tips for choosing global fonts: 

• Maintain aesthetic harmony: Select a font that keeps its design integrity across different languages and scripts. 
• Check script coverage: Ensure your font supports non-Latin alphabets, such as Cyrillic, Greek, or Devanagari. 
• Plan for future expansion: Consider whether the font can accommodate additional languages as your brand grows. 
• Test in-context: Preview your font in real-world scenarios, such as multilingual websites, to ensure cohesive branding. 

4. When to choose bespoke fonts 

If you want to really make sure your visual identity is unmistakable, a bespoke (or custom) font is the right way to go. Bespoke fonts give your brand team the chance to perfectly reflect your company’s personality, values, and mission. And they make it harder for competitors to replicate your visual identity.  

Why bespoke is better: 

• Brand exclusivity: A custom font is unique to your brand, so no other company can use it. 
• Stronger recognition: Custom fonts like Google Sans and Netflix Sans enhance brand recall and recognition by creating a consistent and memorable visual identity. 
• Cost efficiency: Bespoke fonts eliminate ongoing licensing fees, offering long-term savings. Brands like Netflix and Airbnb have adopted custom fonts to reduce costs while maintaining a cohesive global presence. 
• Optimized performance: Tailored fonts are designed to work seamlessly across all mediums, from digital to print, ensuring exceptional versatility. 

Consider bespoke fonts if: 

• You want a completely unique brand identity. 
• Your brand spans multiple languages and needs a typeface tailored for multilingual support. 
• Long-term cost savings outweigh the initial investment in font design. 

5. Keep it consistent with document automation

Your font can only deliver its full impact if it’s applied consistently across every touchpoint. Inconsistencies—like using the wrong font weight or substituting an off-brand typeface—can erode trust, dilute your brand identity, and confuse your audience. 

That’s where tools like Templafy come in. Templafy’s document automation platform ensures your corporate fonts are automatically applied to every document, using pre-approved templates. Whether it’s a PowerPoint presentation, Word document, or Outlook email, Templafy keeps all elements of your typography on-brand, no matter who’s creating it, or where they are.

How Templafy keeps your corporate font consistent:  

• Automated font application: Fonts are applied correctly to all documents, eliminating manual errors. 
• Integration with tools: Templafy works from inside the most popular content tools that your teams are already using, like Microsoft Office and Google Workspace, so there’s no excuse for using the wrong typeface, font size, or colours.  
• Centralized control: Everything is controlled and managed centrally, so teams across departments and locations always use the correct fonts and styles.
• Global accessibility: Templafy integrates with CDNs to deliver fonts efficiently across geographies.