Typography Rules and How to Stretch Them
Written By Chelsie Nye
Typography shapes how people experience content and reinforces a brand’s personality. It’s the silent voice behind your words, setting the tone before someone even reads anything.
The Rules
Legibility Rule: Prioritize readability. Don't forget to consider small screens, ensure strong contrast between text and background, and keep fonts clean. The brain processes familiar letterforms faster, and poor readability increases cognitive load, making people lose interest quickly.
Spacing Rule: Give text breathing room with proper line height, letter spacing, and margins to improve reading speed and comprehension. Clutter and dense text overwhelms the brain, making it harder to retain information.
Hierarchy Rule: Establish a clear visual hierarchy to make information easier/quicker to digest. Headlines, subheadings, and body text should have obvious differences in size, weight, and style. Your reader should instantly know what’s most important. The brain naturally scans for patterns and prioritizes larger, bolder text first.
Consistency Rule: Consistency is key to building a recognizable brand that resonates. Repetition builds memory. When typography is consistent, the brain forms strong associations with a brand.
Here is an example of how these general guidelines would look. It’s fine, it looks nice and clean. But, it can definitely be pushed further to be more eye-catching and engaging.
How to (Strategically) Bend the Rules
Knowing how and when to bend these rules on purpose can add personality to your design, but it only works if you understand why you're doing it.
Legibility: Abstracted type or exaggerated letterforms can be used purely as a design element when paired with clear supporting visuals to make a strong statement. The brain fills in gaps based on context.
Spacing: Push the boundaries with overlapping text, exaggerated letter spacing, or ultra-tight kerning to create tension or movement in a design. This grabs attention by disrupting expectations, triggering curiosity and engagement.
Hierarchy: Oversized headings, adding in another font, or dramatic weight contrasts works especially well for eye-catching social media graphics or campaign visuals designed to stop the scroll. Unexpected hierarchy forces the eye to move differently, increasing engagement.
Consistency: Don't break this rule. Seriously, don’t. Your brand’s voice needs to be steady even with experimentation. If your appearance looks confusing, your audience will be confused too. Inconsistent branding forces the brain to work harder, making people less likely to engage. Mean what you say and say what you mean.
TL;DR: Typography should enhance your brand’s story and leave a lasting impression. It’s not about being different just to stand out—it’s about serving the message. Master the rules first, then break them with purpose.